Kara King & The Beyonders: The Nightwind Glyder Heist

Kara King and The Beyonders:

The Nightwind Glider Heist

Chapter Eight:

Incarcerated

Time to Supernova: 6h 33m

Gamlok of The Burning House

Gamlok made it back into the main reception hall. He looked around frantically until he heard Canis’ voice in his head.

“What is your plan here Throck Morton? Assault me here on the highest floor away from prying eyes?” Canis was clearly theatrical and over the top with the definitive clues to his location.

Gamlok looked up and high into the room he could see a nearly abandoned level at the top. It was just Canis and another figure, Throck Morton. No one wanted to make the walk and no lifts to that level had been on the other side of the doors. Those were scheduled to be locked until-

The massive glass wall on Gamlok’s right lit up like a screen and the music went quiet. The screen flickered and revealed a behemoth. The Imperator Valdas Aratheen Infinus himself. The crowd went into an uproar as the display of their High Emperor playfully pretended to not want the praise. The display of the High Emperor began to tell the itinerary of the event while Gamlok turned back to see neither Canis nor Throck at the top of the stairs. The situation suddenly became dire. He began his climb in a run skipping every other step.

Gamlok couldn’t understand the subservience to this Emperor. Empires as a system were not abolished, so long as those empires in their own systems were still subject ultimately to The Imperium. That’s why the informal title of Valdas is High emperor. These empires, Gamlok couldn’t fault. He understood the system. His people understood power if anything, but this Imperium, The Infinite Imperium, showed no real strength or power to him. He supposed his thinking wasn’t a commentary of subservience. Gamlok couldn’t understand the love of this emperor. The emperor’s lineage had changed their name three or four generations, thousands of years, ago. They pushed back their old name, Aratheen, for all Imperators. Their new surname became Infinus so that they could carry out an important message to their people. You cannot get rid of us, not ever.

Gamlok made it to the top of the stairs and saw Canis on the ground with Throck standing over him. She turned to see him and shook her head. “So, the whole crew is here then? What are you after?”

Gamlok shook his head. Not his place to say. “Right now, to be honest, I’m after you.”

This confused Throck visibly but the crowd below erupting into a roaring cheer threw both of them off. Nevertheless, Gamlok came at her with a wide swing. She ducked under and began her assault on him. She was certainly not stronger than him. Her goal was to outlast and wear him down until one of her blows could deal the knockout. It became a battle of agility against brawn.

“One final announcement for you all.” It was the emperor over the screen. “I have had my people do the necessary math for us to accomplish a new feat never before seen in our wonderful Imperium! With The Nightwind Glyder’s advanced technology we will see the death of this star. In fact we will see the death of this star closer than anyone has ever seen the death of a star before. We are currently in orbit far enough out to avoid any physical damage and we will be able to get you back to your ships before radiation becomes a problem. There will be a short period of time following the supernova event where we should lose some power due to the electromagnetic fields, but reserve power will come online enough to keep us safe and get you all home for your ideal hangover cures.”

The joke was the perfect way to diffuse the tension of the topic at hand. It took two more seconds of Throck Morton bobbing and weaving for her to stop short, the announcement just now registering in her mind. She straightened up to look at the displayed image of the High Emperor on the large screen beyond the railing. “He wouldn’t.” The sound of shuffling feet jolted her back into the fray, but it was too late. By the time she was turning her head back to face Gamlok, all she could see was a mallet of a fist coming for her.

Throck Morton’s whole body went limp in one quick motion. As she fell, she almost cracked her head a second time. This time, not against the Morae’s fist but against the balustrade. She had not missed the railing, however. Instead she hung there for a split second, a feint aura around her being. Gamlok turned to see Canis holding a small compact device in his hand which the aura emanated from, some kind of ancient artifact or a sundrytech company dabbling in mystineering.

Every planet, every species, has tales of old and mystics. There seems to be something inherent to all sapient species wanting to do more. It is said that much, if not most, of science reality was predated by science fiction or fantasy. Gamlok knew that the concept of tractor wave technology came from a seafaring race on some distant planet with almost no land. Rey’Nald? No, Gamlok couldn’t place the name of the planet. Regardless, the early peoples of that planet were said to be able to reach out and will other vessels to their own, creating massive floating cities. These were the kinds of histories and myths Canis poured over.

Where some of the technologies in common use had come from those mystic myths, mystineering on a personal level has never been successful to a point that it could be replicated or even applicable across the verse. This was proven by the flickering aura only second before it appeared over Throck and the pained expression on Canis’ face. Gamlok lunged and caught Throck Morton like a dancer in a dip. The light faded and Canis gasped a deep breath.

“You okay?” Gamlok asked as he lay Throck Morton on the ground and cuffed her hands with the binders taken from his scuffle on The Ersatz.

He winced, still trying to catch his breath. “It’s like falling out of a tree and landing on your back.”

The announcement over the massive screen finished and it returned to its original form of a massive glass observation deck. “So, you are coming with me to Security or heading in there?”

Gamlok had just thrown Throck over his shoulder’s when both men heard a voice in their heads. “King, this is Stellar. Engineering is secured but one got away in the service elevator.”

The men waited.

Kara responded. “No worries. Specs show were right above you. Jeeves is routing the lift direct to us. No stops.” The feed cut out.

“I should head in, I think. Rendezvous should be happening soon, and they need you to pick up your package.” Canis dusted off his dress clothes and turned to head into the main atrium of the ship. He looked back and Gamlok was already off for Security without so much as a goodbye.