Orphan Ch. 01

Celaeno isn't sure just how long she was out, but when she opens her eyes, she is shocked to see her sword sticking out of the platform between her legs and Renus standing over her. He glares down at her through that skull shaped mask and his sword at the ready.

"Sitting around on your ass now?" he asks as he peers down at her.

Celaeno smirks at him. As if on cue, Renus steps backward and Celaeno twirls her legs up, using momentum to lift her body up and around from the deck and onto her feet. Her sword is in her hand and she is in a defensive stance.

Figuring that she has had enough time to gather herself, Renus bears down on her. Celaeno brings her sword up getting it above her head just in time. The force of the blow pushes her down to one knee. She has to use her free hand to push from the back of the blade to hold against the weight of the Ternion member's sword.

Celaeno grunts under the strain. "You slimy bastard," she bites out.

Suddenly she drops her body and rolls out from underneath the sword and up to her feet. Almost immediately Celaeno has to bring her sword up for another block. Renus moves faster than she would normally expect.

"Give it up," he says. "You won't leave here alive otherwise."

He swings high, then low, then high again. Each strike is blocked by her, but none give her an opening to counter with.

"I'm giving up that easily," Celaeno informs him.

Renus comes in with an overhead strike forcing Celaeno to block and lock their swords. "You surrender now and I promise I'll go a little easier on the torture later."

"Yeah right," she gasps through gritted teeth beneath him.

Renus releases one hand from the hilt of his sword and throws a left hook punch to the side of Celaeno's head. The blow jars her and for a brief moment she sees stars. The impact is enough to cause her to stumble to the left and in doing so she loses her balance and falls. She loses grip of her sword in the process, leaving her vulnerable once again.

Two of Renus Brish's Immortals rush over and grab Celaeno, lifting her up to her feet. Then locking her arms behind her back they hold her steady as Renus Brish stalks over to her. She struggles against their grip unsuccessfully.

Renus strokes the side of her face. "You have been a hard prize to track down. Too bad I can't have you to myself. Something I can have to play with when I want to." He gives her the most sinister grin she has ever seen.

"Put her in the holding cell. I want her in maximum restraints."

Renus turns and begins his way in front of them toward a Hydin Shipyards Vulture. The transport ship is considerably smaller than Old Blue, but larger than the Divortium's fighter craft. Next to the cockpit it is mounted with rocket launchers, no doubt packed with a heavy ordinance and the entire craft sits on skids.

Celaeno rages as she is filled up with fury. She fights against the hold of her two captors uselessly. They are almost to the boarding ramp when she kicks out against the back knee of the one to her right. Once his grip goes slack, Celaeno throws a chop into the other's throat.

The Immortal instantly drops to his knees, gripping his throat. Celaeno grabs the back of his head and drives her knee into his face. Blood splatters from his now broken nose as he flies backward off the ramp. The first Immortal attempts to throw a punch at her but Celaeno is quicker and drops down below and jabs her fist into his side. She can feel ribs crack after the repeated strike. Then with her free hand she runs the edge of her knife across his throat, spilling even more blood across the landing ramp.

Spotting her sword she slides the knife away and runs to retrieve it. She is stopped short as the Miska Assault Mechs begin firing just short of her. Renus is the first back down the ramp followed in tow by two more Immortals.

"Hold your fire!" he yells. Then to the two Immortals at his side he instructs, "Stop her."

Celaeno wastes no time in letting either Immortal gain the upper hand on her or distance between them. She launches herself toward them, sword held high in an offensive strike. The first of the two Immortals adjusts and goes down to his back bringing his sword up and around in an arc effectively parrying Celaeno's sword. She lands on top of the Immortal, but he continues the momentum and using his legs throws her backward off. He continues the roll until he is back on his feet.

Celaeno is successful enough to twist midair and land on her feet as well and right in front of the second one. She steps back with her right foot and brings her sword up level, its tip pointing at the Immortal. The Immortal comes with an overhead strike and Celaeno drops, spins the sword back and around and slices across his belly and spilling his insides.

As she spins around to meet her first attacker, she is tackled by him. Pain is replaced with anger and she once again slams onto the platform's deck. She brings up her knee, slamming it into his gut. The Immortal backs off just enough for Celaeno to maneuver. She throws a punch knocking her attacker's head back then drives an elbow to his throat.

The Immortal drops his sword and reaches up grabbing his neck. Celaeno grins and hooks her legs around his and with a little leverage, throws his body from hers. Quickly, she springs to her feet and twirls her sword before slamming it into the Immortal's chest. Within seconds his chest falls still and his body goes limp.

With a bound, Renus leaps from inside the ship, sword in hand and lands bearing down upon Celaeno. The force of his blow when blocked by her is enough to send her to the platform deck. Celaeno uses the momentum to carry her into a backward roll and up to her feet. She then launches himself at the Ternion member.

Celaeno's first strike comes high. Renus blocks it easily, but Celaeno turns her blade at the last second causing it to slide off and down at Renus' legs. The commander jumps into the air to avoid losing his legs and swings his sword at his opponent's head. Celaeno ducks and rolls a few steps away.

"Pretty fast," Renus remarks, "but you're still no match for me."

"We shall see."

Celaeno thrusts in at the commander's chest but pulls short as Renus brings his sword around to parry. She then spins bringing her sword around horizontally at Renus' neck. The man easily ducks and counters by sweeping Celaeno's legs out from under her. Celaeno lands with a thud and has to quickly roll to the side as Renus' sword stabs where she just lay. Celaeno is surprised with Renus' agility, but not unexpected. She gets to her feet and blocks a strike aimed for her midsection.

With each strike Renus throws, Celaeno easily deflects. The trouble is not in deflecting but each time the swords clang against one another, Renus' barely makes impact before moving to the next strike. Weariness begins to creep into her muscles and her breaths come on heavier and heavier. Celaeno stops her mind from drifting to listening to what her body is telling her and puts it back into the fight. In doing so she finds renewed strength and energy.

When the next strike comes from Renus, Celaeno simply sidesteps him. She doesn't get the effect she would have liked of Renus stumbling forward from over striking. Instead, Renus with his quick and semi-light strikes is able to compensate, but Celaeno is still quicker.

Or so she thinks.

Celaeno brings her sword in an arc, but as if sensing the maneuver, Renus throws out his right hand catching Celaeno's wrist. His massive hand wraps around and it nearly feels like he is crushing her bones. Celaeno reaches from behind and pulls a combat knife out and swings it around, but Renus is focused and ready. He easily blocks the strike and then brings his own sword around striking Celaeno's hand with the side of his sword. The blow sends her sword scattering across the deck.

"As I said," Renus grins, "you are no match for me."

With that, he slings her by the wrist. She flies through the air and lands roughly into a sideways roll. She lets momentum and gravity take their course as she focuses on placing a small sticky device to the hilt of her sword. Then her body is flying over the edge of the platform.

"Sir!" one of his troopers says rushing up to him. "She just went over."

Renus glances over his shoulder in the direction that he sent Celaeno and says, "If she's alive then secure her. If not, then at least one problem has been solved."

Renus doesn't like the idea of her being dead. Alive if possible was the order, dead if necessary. He is a perfectionist and would rather her be alive, but if not, he completed his job.

Several of the troopers rush to the edge with their assault rifles pointed over the side and down. There they find Celaeno hanging one handed on a small handhold. Her sword is nowhere in sight.

Several hours after the incident on the New Paris platform took place and cleaned up by local authorities a Mishka Shipyards Lotus Corvette named Jericho lands. Its shape resembles that of a sword hilt. Built for both luxury and cargo carrying, it has two large loading ramps in the front as well as a larger one in the back. To aid in docking it also features to hatches atop.

For defense is has a large array of weaponry hidden from view and all very illegal for a ship of its size and stature as well as for any non military ship for that matter.

Slowly a landing ramp just in front of the cockpit lowers with a hiss. Unlike Celaeno's landing, there are several ships on the platform, but none of the other crews or service technicians pay attention to the new arrival of the craft nor do they when a large, post war, War Golem steps out, followed closely by a tall man.

The War Golem, Tanttan, once served in the war before the Divortium rose to power. He, like many others like him, was the main driving force in the war. Soldiers were still used but more so for special ops and infiltration while the War Golems fought each other on the battlefield. The majority of the War Golems were dismantled after the war, but a few including Tanttan were salvaged or misplaced.

Tanttan stands on two legs that do not even look like they could support such a massive machine. His main body is almost oval with one oversized right arm and a much smaller left. When looking at the arms, neither look like they belong nor that one has been replaced with an arm that doesn't belong to the model. To a person that has never seen a War Golem, this would be their first thought, but a veteran like Sage Veris, than tall man standing behind Tanttan, it is perfectly normal.

"Anything?" he asks the War Golem.

Tanttan swivels around once more, scanning the entire platform before replying with, "Zzzt...Celaeno was here and...Zzzt...there was a battle of a kind."

"I mean, is it clear," the man corrects.

"Of course...Zzzt...the Divortium soldiers are long gone."

Sage steps out from behind the giant machine and instantly the wind kicks up and blows against his blue robes and equally blue hair. The wind doesn't bother him. Even if it was cold enough to chill a person to the bone, it wouldn't matter to him. Trained by the Dranon monks, Sage can survive nearly any type of environment and still perform his skills learned from the monks.

Unlike his counterparts, however, Sage carries only three swords. He has no use for any other type of weaponry, not with his skills at Tetrakinesis. He left the order, or rather suspended his time with his fellow monks when Celaeno had asked for help and none of the order wished to provide aid. Many of his fellow monks rebuked him for leaving with her. Much of it was because the order wished to stay out of the conflict waging with the Divortium while a part was because he fell in love with her.

"Where's the beacon at?" he asks without looking back toward the War Golem. Instead his eyes are scanning the other ships, crews and workers.

"Zzzt...Exactly thirty two point zero one five meters...Zzzt...six degrees to your right," Tanttan answers.

Sage comes to a dead stop and turns to the giant machine. "Come on. How many times have I asked you to give me a straight answer?"

"I did...Zzzt...Brother Veris," the War Golem replies.

Frustration can be seen on Sage's face. Not only is it from the directions, but the Brother part. Tanttan had a sense of humor, if one could call it that, for a machine, especially a war machine. And he only called Sage that when Sage was being, in what Tanttan considered, callous.

"What have I asked—"

"Just over...Zzzt... the edge that way Sage," the war machine interrupts while pointing.

Sage drops his expression and turns away from Tanttan. There is no point of arguing with the machine. He tried it before and instead of learning from it the first time he tried again and again and again until finally Sage saw the light so to speak and just gave up.

Quickly Sage paces over to the edge, cursing himself for having fallen into the War Golem's trick and letting his guard down. Almost immediately he senses the sword stuck beneath the platform. He thinks about using his ability to just liquefy the platform decking and raising the sword through, but quickly disregards it in light of actually grabbing the attention of those on the platform.

Instead, Sage swings over the edge, using the same handhold Celaeno did and pulls the sword free. With equal agility, he swings himself back up and over the edge.

"This is hers alright," he says examining the sword and detaching the small, almost untraceable homing beacon.

"Further scans...Zzzt...reveal that the battle and capture of Celaeno took place no more than...Zzzt...sixteen hours ago."

"Are you sure she was captured?" Sage asks almost impulsively.

"Do you...Zzzt...lack my abilities?" the giant machine quips.

Sage grins. "For all we know she fell off the side and is somewhere down on the city streets dead," he says grimly.

"I...Zzzt...already checked New Paris' morgue and hospital...Zzzt...records. Nothing indicates anyone of her...Zzzt...description."

"So the Divortium has her then."

"It appears...Zzzt...so," Tanttan answers.

"Well, how the hell do you know that?" Sage asks incredulously.

"Simple," Tanttan answers, "the...warrant for Celaeno's capture...Zzzt...has been lifted."

"And the closest holding facility is Rome," Sage mutters.

"There is...Zzzt...a ninety-six percent chance that...Zzzt...is where she was taken."

"And the other four percent?"

"Doesn't matter," Tanttan answers. "Rurik Garrison...Zzzt...is going to be there."