Authors: Lora E. Rasmussen
Tags: #Science Fiction, #Space Opera, #Epic, #Fiction, #LGBT, #Lesbian, #(v5.0)
“Two Soha beers, please.” Hadarr requested.
“Right up.” She answered, moving swiftly to finish her
current orders and then take the next. A moment later, two condensation–covered,
cool blue bottles of golden Soha slid down the silvery–colored bar right
towards the Shield Operatives. Serros placed the requisite 10 Mark bill on the
smooth bar–top and then the two moved over and rested their backs against the
bar, continuing to scan as they drank.
As if she was leaning in to speak to Major Hadarr, Serros
queried, “Adeline, do we have any matches?”
“Recog hasn’t made any hits as of yet for either Odass or K’llan
Z’arr, Captain, though the connection is solid; the micro–image renders on your
apparel are working perfectly.” Lieutenant Commander Diana Adeline’s voice was
clearly audible from the tiny, portable receiver secreted within the Captain’s
ear.
“Thanks, A; keep at it.”
“Ops, I see two Irdoi, on my three o’ clock.” Hadarr announced,
keeping up pretense by moving her mouth to Serros’s right ear in the intimate
gesture of a lover. Captain Serros canted her head just enough to catch a
glance of the two Humanoids. Both possessed the hairless, green–gray skin and
sparse, short frames typical of their species.
“Mm…captured. No match, Major.” Adeline answered.
“I think it’s time for us to switch positions.” Serros offered
after several more minutes of unobtrusive surveillance.
“Agreed.”
The two moved further through the club, discretely leaving
tiny micro–imagers behind as they carved an erratic path, tagging bars, walls,
even the jackets of other club–goers, all to expand their visual recognition
net. Two and a half hours had passed, and yet they still hadn’t been able to
locate their targets despite having spotted close to thirty Vosaia and half–a–hundred
Irdoi.
“Captain, Major, we seem to have a hit on the information
broker. Odass is loitering on the fourth level, near the second dance floor. No
sign of the Vosaia.” Adeline informed, contained excitement clear even through
the metallic sounding ear ‘ceiver.
“Well done, A. We’re making our way now.” Serros answered.
The two Quorum Shields slowly traveled up, deliberately
pausing along the way to make the journey appear natural. When they made the
fourth level, Hadarr grabbed Serros’s hand and led her to the dance floor near
their target, close enough to see him but not close enough to appear to be
looking.
A few minutes later, the Captain spied their first target.
Odass’s skin was a mossy color, his protruding, round eyes a similar hue. His
pebbly scalp was slightly darker and he wore gold ear brackets on his right
ear. Odass was dressed in light tan and dark red synth and seemed perfectly at
ease as he sat in a plum–colored lounge booth. The Irdoi broker certainly
wasn’t alone, for Avara could spot at least four guards attempting to
not
look like protection, and doing a very poor job of it; another Irdoi, a Gorath,
and two Humans.
“Still no lock on Z’arr.” Lieutenant Commander Adeline’s
voice again came over the Shields’ receivers, offering an update without being
asked.
“Got it, A.” Captain Serros responded.
“You know, you’re actually quite good at this.” Hadarr remarked
a few minutes later, half–shouting to be heard.
Serros laughed at that. “Surprised?”
“Well, yes, a bit. Your record suggests that to Humans,
you’re the ‘soldier’s soldier,’ so to speak. Sadly, that kind of reputation
usually means a life that allows little time for anything else for the shorter
lived races of the galaxy.”
Avara Serros made a deliberate choice to be good natured
about the comment, accepting the back–handed compliment rather than the insult
implicit in the Major’s words. “Well, us shorter lived species may surprise you
from time to time.”
“So I see.”
Again, Serros got the distinct impression that the Major was
studying her, and just for an instant, she felt an inkling of intense
curiosity, then once more, Goyan Hadarr’s emotions were entirely barricaded with
surprising skill and ease. Avara had never met another that could so completely
close–off to her Arca Synergy enhanced empathic senses. It was a somewhat
disquieting sensation.
Approximately twenty minutes later, Adeline’s voice sounded
once more, tone simultaneously perplexed and concerned. “Captain, all of the
micro–imagers you and the Major placed just went dark.”
“Is it an issue on our end?” Serros asked, raising her arms to
match the syncopated beat pounding across the dance floor.
“No, Captain.”
“It means Z’arr is here.” Serros and Hadarr said in unison,
looking at each other with faint humor at the realization.
“And she has enacted counter measures to possible
surveillance.” Major Hadarr continued, looking wryly at Serros.
“Do you think it means she’s marked us?” The Captain asked.
The thought was a worrisome one.
“Unlikely. As I said, she’s very intelligent. I strongly
believe she’s just being cautious.”
“I can confirm now that the micro–imagers were hacked and
disabled.” Diana Adeline updated.
“Can you overwrite?”
“No. Whatever she did fried the circuitry.” The Ops and
Intel Officer answered.
“All right. We’ll finish this the old fashioned way; with
our own eyes and ears.” Serros proclaimed.
“Agreed. My guess is that she will show within the next
fifteen minutes or so.” Major Hadarr stated, eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she
moved her hips and upper body to match the music’s rhythm and move in opposite
of Serros doing the same.
The Major was correct in her assessment, for eleven minutes
later, Serros spotted their target live for the first time. Focusing her Arca–enhanced
vision, the Captain was able to telescopically augment her sight as if she was
only one rather than twenty–five feet away. Her first impression of Lieutenant K’llan
Z’arr was competence coupled with grace as she moved towards Odass.
Her second impression was one of remarkable beauty. Z’arr’s loose
hair was a brilliant, royal blue that shimmered in the ever–interchanging and
pulsing lights of the club, almost like sapphire spun into strands of living
silk. Her features included a straight, somewhat delicate nose and large,
almond shaped eyes a lustrous, deep violet. Just as the two Quorum Shield
Operatives, Lieutenant Z’arr was dressed in everyday clothes to betray no hint
of her military background. In her case, flatteringly complimentary colors of black,
indigo, and white synth. Despite appearances, Captain Serros had no doubt that
just like the two Shields, their target was armed.
For just a second, Serros and Z’arr’s eyes locked, and Avara
felt those lilac orbs slam into her with the force of a K–Blast, felt as if her
mind, her emotions, her very essence, were exposed to that vivid gaze.
Then abruptly, the moment ended and the Captain felt her
head pulled down and lips crushed against another’s. Major Goyan Hadarr. Caught
utterly by surprise, at first Serros did nothing, then, concerned that their
target would escape, she tried to break away but the Vosaia’s response was to
pull more firmly onto Serros’s neck and kiss her even more deeply.
When Hadarr also subtly added a hard, painful pinch with her
fingers on the back of Avara’s neck, Captain Serros belatedly realized what her
fellow Operative was trying to do, and so settled into the position and
returned the kiss with a like amount of apparent enthusiasm.
A minute later, Hadarr stopped and looked at Serros’s face,
her features conveying the excitement of an ardent lover, though her words
certainly did not match. “Our target is still present, speaking to the Irdoi. Tell
me, what kind of look
was that
and are all Humans so utterly inept at
subterfuge, or is it just you?”
“Speaking for myself, I don’t make a habit of dishonesty, so
no; thankfully, not really a part of my every day job description.” The Captain
responded, fighting for just a heartbeat to keep her voice level at the
Vosaia’s scathing tone.
“Ops, we have sight of our objective.” Serros then reported
to Adeline over the still open link.
“Well learn
fast
, Captain.” Major Hadarr stated
adamantly. “I do not want the mission to fail because you’re still using
training wheels.” There was no mistaking the irritation in Hadarr’s acerbic tenor.
“Understood, Captain.” Lieutenant Commander Adeline voiced
over the Comm.
“Don’t worry, I can keep up.” Serros responded to Hadarr with
unruffled confidence.
Hadarr twined her fingers through Serros’s dark hair and
made as if to nuzzle the Captain’s neck, conveniently allowing her a clear view
of Z’arr. “It looks like the target is concluding her business. When she
leaves, we should wait a few moments, then follow.”
“Agreed.” The minutes trickled by as the two kept up
pretense and observation both.
“You know,” Hadarr started, then grazed Serros’s lips with
her own in a second, lingering kiss before continuing, “As a
very
minor
positive, I will say you kiss quite well, Captain.” Again, the Major’s tone and
psychic signature were entirely unreadable.
“Um… Nova Squad is in position and the secured Comm channel
is now open to the Squad.” Lieutenant Commander Diana Adeline’s somewhat
nervous voice came over their receivers, cutting off any response Serros might
have made.
“Understood, Ops, and thank you.”
“She’s beginning to leave the table.” Major Hadarr quietly remarked.
“What’s this about kissing, Captain?” Commander Marcus Perez’s
voice cut in, laughter bubbling over the channel.
“Is that some sort of Human expression for a mission going
well?” Major Ca’rrakk rumbled.
“Oh, I see. Like the
Kiss Of Death
? I saw a Human produced
Vid of that title once.” Lieutenant Naxos commented, his
s
’
s
drawn out and sliding like parchment into a folio tube.
“Yeah, yeah, let’s focus. Target’s on the move; time to
commence pursuit.” Captain Serros broke in.
The Captain and Major nonchalantly made to leave, following
the probable route of their target. A few minutes later, Lieutenant Rygel’s
voice cut into their ears announcing, “Caught sight of the target; she’s on the
rooftop, not the lower level. Repeat, target is on the rooftop.”
“Copy that. Major Hadarr, you take the street level in case
she doubles back; I’ll take the roofs.” Captain Serros ordered.
The Major nodded once and then was gone, her form a faint
blur as she sped away through the crowd down the stairs. Serros blinked a
moment in thought, then she too focused and activated her Arca Dexterity,
Speed, and Agility Enhancement, practically rocketing up the stairs towards the
roofs.
It took Captain Serros less than one minute to make the roof–top
and another to override the door locks by utilizing a quick hack with her
biotech–based CPA. By the time she reached the roof it was empty but she didn’t
let that discourage her; she’d poured over Lieutenant Z’arr’s dossier and knew
her to possess a DSA as well. Instead, Serros spent a moment accessing first
her SP and then TXL Enhancements, extending the normal range and focus of her
vision across the immediate cityscape of Ophere. When that tactic failed, she switched
to first low–light and then thermal range.
There!
Serros spotted a single, lean heat signature speeding at the
rate of close to one mile per minute across the rooftops, gracefully leaping
over each obstacle in her path. “Target is on the roofs heading north; in
pursuit.” Captain Serros updated her team, then launched herself after her
quarry, pace more than matching Z’arr’s.
Glittering city lights, flashing holo–adverts, the
whirring
noise of sky transports and the
hum
of ground vehicles, as well as the
blended voices of hundreds of sentients seemed to spin around the Captain as
she ran, creating a peculiar, dream–like sense to the experience. The city
itself was a marvel of black–glass and bright, steel colored durexium facades.
Flat in design, most were well over three hundred stories in height and rooftops
some several hundred feet across.
In seconds, Serros could feel that she was gaining on her
target, each passing moment bringing Z’arr closer, especially because the
Vosaia seemed to be slowing even as Avara’s momentum was picking up. With a
thought, the Captain dropped the thermal vision enhancement of her TXL and
adjusted sight back to slightly augmented normal range. When she was only about
a dozen feet away, Captain Serros saw her chance as Z’arr prepared to bound
gracefully from one rooftop to the next over a twenty–six foot gap.
Pouring on the speed and launching herself upward through a
flashing green and gold holo–advert touting the must–have value of the latest
generation of Sphinx CPAs, Serros leaped an additional twenty feet past the gap’s
requisite length. She twisted mid–air to land face–foreword and directly in
front of Z’arr. At touchdown, Serros executed a slight spin to move with the
motion of her target while at the same time, used her left arm to drop Lieutenant
Z’arr to the rooftop floor.
It was a tricky maneuver, one that had to be timed perfectly
or, due to impact speed, could potentially
fatally
stop Lieutenant Z’arr.
If she wanted the STF Agent for questioning, it simply wouldn’t do to snap her
neck or have her puncture a lung on a shattered rib through carelessness. Not
to mention splinter Captain Serros’s own forearm.
The Shield Operative recognized she had been successful in
stopping the Vosaia’s flight when the
thud
of impact sounded through the
city–night. Surprisingly, with a grunt, the brilliant haired Vosaia was able to
regain her equilibrium and roll over Serros’s arm, coming to a stop in a rough
yet controlled skid some few feet away.
When K’llan Z’arr rather gracefully flipped upright she
found herself looking directly at the muzzle of Serros’s drawn hand pistol, a
Talon V7.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Lieutenant Z’arr queried,
violet eyes cold. Serros noted that both her stance and tone were anything but
afraid; indeed, her posture was of a predator about to pounce on a late night
snack.
“Captain Serros, Strategic High Risk, Intelligence, and
Enforcement Operative. By the Authority of the Quorum, Consulate, and Ministry,
you are to surrender yourself into my custody and await charges.” Avara Serros
answered calmly, her eyes unblinking, hand steady.
“
What
?” Z’arr asked sharply, quick intake of breath
clearly audible, then her eyes narrowed. “I think not,
Captain
.”
Just as Z’arr finished her last word, a
kshh–boom
split the relative silence and the roof erupted into a shower of durexium and
glass shards even as Serros was slammed backward into the side of an iron
colored advert scaffold. Left ear ringing and with the warm trickle of blood
slipping down cheek to neck, Serros blinked away dust and grime from the
grenade–charge that Z’arr had obviously placed on the ground between them while
skidding to a stop.
Clever; very clever
. Avara admitted to herself.
But
not enough
.
The Captain immediately caught sight of her target again,
who had almost reached the opposite end of the three hundred foot span and was
about to jump to the next roof. Captain Serros pushed herself to her feet,
replaced the hand pistol into the inside of her jacket that she’d managed to
hold on to even in the explosion, and set off in pursuit once more.
“Captain, scanners are reading an explosion. You alright?” Commander
Marcus Perez’s voice cut in, worry audible.
“Fine, Marcus. Still in pursuit. Where is Nova Squad and
Hadarr?”
“Nova’s trying to make position. She’s traveling fast, Captain.
Myself, Naxos, and Rygel are about a click and a half away, on the roofs.”
Perez answered, his voice sounding heavy with exertion.
“I’m in the shuttle, two klicks away.” Major Ca’rrakk
reported.
“I am on the ground, working to get ahead of your position
and cut Z’arr off; about a klick away.” Goyan Hadarr’s voice chimed in.
“Okay. Ca’rrakk, keep sight of the target. Everyone else,
stay on it.”
It was clear to Avara that K’llan Z’arr was indeed very,
very
good. Her speed, her agility and rapid thinking abilities all abundantly distinct
as she raced after the Vosaia Strategic Task Forces Agent. Yet despite her
skill, the Quorum Shield continued to inexorably close the distance between
them. Serros could feel the vibrating pulse of her Arca Enhancements singing
throughout blood, vein, sinew, and organs, the kobalt–fueled, microscopic bio–technology
forever fused to and inseparable from her physical and cognitive framework at
an atomic level. Coupled with her own exceedingly high personal ability,
experience, and training, in the end equation, Captain Serros was an Arca VII.
She possessed seven different Arca Enhancements, making her a true Arca Savant
and outclassing all others in regards to Enhancements except for an extremely rare
five percent.
As remarkable as Lieutenant K’llan Z’arr clearly was, as an
Arca IV, she simply couldn’t contend in a flat–out competition such as this
race. In fact, the rooftops worked against her. They were too open and too
direct; Z’arr would have been better off in the press and flow of street
traffic at the ground level. Not surprisingly, Z’arr recognized that she was
steadily losing ground and just as Serros step–leaped over a weather–scuffed,
open ventilation duck–work, she changed the game once more.
Feeling the disturbance in the cold city night air, the Captain
landed on her feet and executed several tight rolls, barely avoiding half–a–dozen
sizzling arcs of electricity from the cluster of swarming hand–drones circling
her like crows sighting a dying soldier on the field. Just before she found her
feet, Serros drew her pistol and then with deadly accuracy, snapped off shot
after shot, all the while weaving gracefully to avoid being scorched by short
lances of electricity.
Swearing softly as she had to bleed three shots for each
drone, she found herself wishing she was armed with her standard Volturno SX9s,
rather than the smaller clip and non–adaptable, non–automatic Talon. For its
concealability it was quite serviceable; for a dedicated firefight, not so much
so.
Though it had taken only moments for the Captain to dispose
of the hand–drones, the delay allowed her quarry another lead and the time for another
surprise. At the end of the concrete roof, Z’arr tossed second grenade, not at Serros,
but instead at a window of the building directly opposite to the roof–edge she
stood upon. The grenade
stuck
to the smoky glass prior to exploding, and
before the swirl of glass, concrete, and durexium fragments had even remotely
finished settling, the Vosaia dove straight through the newly made aperture.
Clever again
.
The Vosaia STF Agent had changed the play, taking away the Captain’s
advantage of the open–roof–top chase. Captain Serros’s respect for her adversary’s
ingenuity and resolve continued to grow, even as she increased her pace and
followed her target through the ruined window. Avara’s landing was somewhat
marred as she half slipped and almost lost her footing on glass and dust
covered flooring.
The destruction of the building’s window façade seemed to be
somewhat ironic, for the structure was unmistakably purposed to be a glass production
company. Row after row of enormous sheets of glass were in clear view as Serros
scanned the large, warehouse room she found herself in. Each row was at least
one to two stories high, with the glass–panels being of all colors, though
Ophere’s trademark smoky–black was definitely the most prevalent. Elaborate
durexium frameworks and scaffolding as well as mechanical lifting cranes served
to separate, organize, and manage the stacks. There were several lights around
the room, but all were on a low setting and with even dimmed light, the illumination
reflected wildly throughout the room as it bounced off the massive glass
ingots.
Though she couldn’t see a soul, Captain Serros extended her enhanced
senses and after a heartbeat, was able to pick up the steady
pat–pat–pat
of running footsteps, as well as distant voices shouting in surprise and
irritation. Making a quick decision, instead of directly following the retreating
footfalls, the Captain swiftly climbed up one of the many scaffolding ladders
to the top of the nearest stack. A rapid scan around the room proved the value
of the approach, for she could see Z’arr pelting down one of the rows towards
the warehouse’s exit–ways. Serros could also make out a few late night work crews,
primarily Zirgesh, busily stocking the stacks, and carting the ingots on
powered dollies and lifts.
“Nova Squad, I have Z’arr in a glass panel construction building,
upper floors, east–side. Closing pursuit.” Avara reported.
“I’m on you, Captain. We’re approaching via the roof, west–side.”
Commander Perez answered.
“I’ve taken up position outside of the building, Marquise
Glassworks Incorporated, south–side. Will maintain watch.” Ca’rrakk reported.
“I’m entering the lower level of the building.” Came
Hadarr’s update.
“Acknowledged.”
Narrowing her eyes, Captain Serros took off down the metal floor–way
of the scaffold she was on and then, with fierce focus, bounded forward some
seventy feet or so to the scaffolding thirty feet directly
above
her
quarry. Though the Shield’s aim was true, she still slammed with jarring force
against the scaffold railing, then actually tumbled over its side, catching
herself just enough to swing in a more or less controlled manner downward and
away from the panel–stack. Avara touched down upon the ground heavily, barely
missing smashing the opposite stack.
Startled out of her run, the Vosaia paused a moment as Captain
Serros landed on the scaffold and then watched her mostly controlled fall. With
Z’arr shaking her head in obvious disbelief, Serros was able to catch the
muttered “Insane; absolutely
insane!
” comment right as Z’arr tossed another,
more numerous batch of hand–drones in the Captain’s direction. Then the target
started her run again, this time while frantically keying–in commands on her CPA.
“
Damn
.” Serros swore dryly, realizing her position in
the walkways between the steep glass towers was vulnerable, to say the least.
Then a familiar voice informed her that relief had arrived.
“We got this, Captain.”
“Copy, and thanks, Marcus.” Serros answered, barely looking
up to see Perez, Rygel, and Naxos arrive directly through the sun–roof of the
ceiling above, instinctively trusting the person that had been at her back
since childhood. Not having to worry about going undercover, they were all equipped
in their armor and much better armed than she, a fact testified to by the
serious spray of assault rifle and SMG fire that swept through the drones,
eliminating the threat in seconds.
Captain Serros didn’t wait to see the end, however, instead
once again taking up the chase. For several minutes the two ran madly through
the rows, around lifts, stacks, and workers alike until suddenly, a lift–driver
with a full stack of glass ingots unknowingly pulled right in front of Agent Z’arr.
Startled by the speeding Vosaia who smashed into his vehicle, the driver instinctively
swerved his cart, slamming directly against a stack of panels.
To Captain Avara Serros, it appeared as if time ceased its
natural flow. With a strange, bell–like screech, several glass panels escaped
their durexium clamps and began to free–fall down onto the flooring and
into
the stack directly behind. The six–armed, dazed Zirgesh lift–driver was tossed
out of his seat to the ground next to a groaning Z’arr, even as several tons of
glass ingots came hurtling down from directly above them.
The Captain, caught on the opposite side of the cart,
watched as Z’arr’s violet eyes widened in shock and fear at the freefalling
glass coming her way, then readied to lunge to safety just as she caught a
whimper of terror from the prone Zirgesh next to her. Serros clearly recognized
the instant of hesitation on Z’arr’s countenance, then her decision as she
clenched her hands into fists and squeezed her eyes closed.
Time snapped back into place as some eight–thousand pounds worth
of glass ingots crashed directly atop the two and the immediate surrounding
area. Yet amazingly, the Vosaia and the Zirgesh were utterly unharmed. A rich,
dark blue field of energy set into a covering dome enveloped them, the glass
having shattered upon impact and then slid off the dome like water tumbling
down a deep canyon fall.