WildSpace - Voyage of the Naginata Ch. 06

"She's trying to...earn her keep." Il'taira replied quietly.

"Earn her keep?!" Serra stepped forward next to Cali. She swept away a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "Oh Cali, you are and have always been a valuable member of my crew... my family... my little sister." Serra began to tear up.

"Is there something... perhaps I could do?" The doctor asked from the doorway.

"Oh, doctor!" Serra stood and wiped her eyes. "We would be grateful."

"I will do what I can, but I feel I need a little more... room to work." The end of his snake like body writhed in the hall.

"Oh, of course!" Serra said. The crew filed out. Il'taira stood and held her hand over Cali's forehead and for a brief second a small burst of black energy passed from her hand to Cali's forehead. The doctor tilted his head questioningly.Hmmm.

Il'taira moved to the doorway took a long look at Cali and then headed to the lounge. She stood just inside the door to the lounge and listened with her ears and mind. She began to push her mind gently into Cali's. She searched for any sign of Cali's memories to see if she could find exactly what happened. Soon, a lingering image faded intuitive her mind's eye.

"I can do this! I have to do this! If I can't figure this out, Serra is going to kick me off the ship!" She laid her hands on the console and forced her mind to focus. She pictured the ship systems in her mind. Her blue-green energy swirled around her and penetrated the computers and engine.

"Tell me what to do! How do I fix it!?"

Cali began to show strain on her face and grimaced as she forced her will on the ship's systems. The entire room filled with her energy as the machinery flickered but ultimately stayed "cold".

"Dammit!" She growled and slammed her fists in the console. The screen flickered with a red glow. Cali pulled her hands away cautiously.

"I... I'm sorry. I just want to help you." She said and dropped into her stool. "I just wanted to fix you."

She sat in silence for a few moments until she looked up. Her eyes wide, she looked at one particular panel off in the far corner. She hopped off the stool and ran across the room. She gently ran her hands across the subsystem console and "listened". A small smile crossed her lips and she narrowed her eyes. She laid her hands on the console and forced her energy into it.

"Now I will cure you!" She said through gritted teeth. She pushed more energy into the system. She kept pushing energy into the system. Her hands began to shake, her body trembled. A few lights flickered on. She looked around, but it was not enough. She grunted and pushed as much energy as she could into the ship. A few more lights came on and the engine started to "spin up".

"There we go, help me... help..." she grimaced and strained as more lights and secondary systems came back on line.

"Almost there... Come on!" She shouted and pushed. "More! I need more!" She leaned hard against the computer. Finally, she pushed one last large pulse of energy in the console. Finally, the system fully "fired up" and power was restored to the Naginata! She looked around the engine room and smiled weakly. She stumbled weak-kneed back to her stool and sat. Utterly exhausted, her shoulders slumped and her head bowed, her breath was shallow and labored.

Il'taira opened her eyes, a tear rolled down her cheek.Oh Cali... She sighed...

"Il'taira?" A voice brought her back to the present. She turned to see Saphina standing close with a concerned look on her face.

"S-Saphina?" Her voice was weak and quiet.

"Why don't you come sit with us, worrying won't help her."

Il'taira smiled and nodded her head. "Perhaps you're right." She replied and followed Saphina to the rest of the crew.

"Cali is such a wonderful person, I'm grateful to have her in my crew and to have her friendship." Serra said, not really sure what to say. She took a drink and turned her attention to Il'taira, "I know things have been chaotic and stressful since you, Kat and Saphina came aboard, but honestly, seeing how happy Cali is with you here makes me happy. So I can't thank you enough."

"I... I don't know what to say... I've known Cali my entire life, I just didn't know who she was." Il'taira said.

"What do you mean?" Lexi asked.

"I've seen her in my visions and dreams for decades... I know how this must sound, but her face has been etched in my subconscious and the moment I saw her, everything became so clear." She said,

"And she has powers like you?" Serra asked. "Is that why?"

"Yes." She paused. "Let me explain. When we were... intimate for the first time, our... psyches merged and instead of... bouncing off each other, they started to combine and that is rare indeed. It's almost as if..." She blushed. "We were meant to be together."

"That's sweet." Serra said and laid her head on Kat's shoulder.

"What about her powers?" Saphina asked. "Are you... helping her with them?"

"I've been trying to teach her how to use them, how to harness them and help her find their purpose. But... I looked into her memories to see if I could find a cause for her... current condition."

"Did you find anything?" Kat asked.

"Yes... I saw her working on the ship, and she attempted to force her will on the systems."

"What do you mean?"

"When a psykik uses their abilities, it is sort of a synergistic partnership. For instance, when I use my abilities, my mind connects with a... spark in my soul, which is the heart of my abilities. I essentiallyask that spark if we can work together to solve the challenge at hand." Il'taira explained.

"But it seems like you call upon your powers at will." Serra said.

"Outwardly, it would seem instantaneously, keep in mind, the brain thoughts move at lightning speed. When I ask for help, it can feel like an eternity at times."

"So, what did you mean by Cali trying to force her will?" Serra asked.

"When I witnessed her memories, I saw her fighting with her spark... When the relationship between a psykik and her spark is not in union, either the spark consumes the psykik, or the psykik consumes the spark. It's... violent either way."

"Consumes?! Is that what's gradients to Cali?" Saphina asked.

"No... I feel that-" Il'taira paused and frowned.

"What?" Lexi asked. The pale-skinned Kurn looked toward the door. "No!" She said and jumped up. The crew looked at her confused as she rushed toward the door just as the doctor appeared at the door. Il'taira pushed past him and hurried on to the med bay.

"Doctor?" Serra asked, standing.

"Your friends... I'm afraid she's fallen into a deep coma." He said somberly.

"A coma?!" Lexi exclaimed.

"But..." Serra couldn't find any words.

"I'm sorry, I did all I could." He added. The crew looked at each other in shock.

In the med bay, Il'taira sat on the edge of the bed holding Cali's hand and crying. She attempted to gently reach into her mind, but it seemed to be... "missing".

"Oh Cali!" She sobbed. Within moments the entire crew appeared in the doorway. Serra began to cry and Kat held her tightly. They all looked on in silence and sorrow.

"Il'taira?" Serra said softly. The pale-skinned woman turned to face the crew, her face streaked with tears, her eyes "glowed" with black energy. She shook her head and turned back to Cali's prone, lifeless body. Suddenly, the Naginata shuddered and the engines started making an... unusual sound.

"Kat?" Serra said quietly.

"On it." She kissed her head and rushed off to the bridge. Once there, she poured over the readouts of the engine console. She double and triple checked the readouts. Serra then entered and took a seat. Flicking on the power to her console.

"What's going on?" Serra asked.

"I... I'm not sure, but it looks like our speed has... increased!" Kat replied.

"Weren't we already at max velocity?" Lexi asked as she stepped between them.

"Yes." Kat replied and spun in her chair. She shifted back to Cali's seat and began to go over the engineering console. "This is strange." She mumbled.

"What?" Serra asked.

"Engine output is at one hundred fifteen percent!" Kat said.

"How?!" Lexi moved to the Ops station.

"I'm not sure. But according to this, we'll be in the Call'lin system in... six hours!?" Serra said.

"What the?! How is that even possible?!" Lexi asked.

"I don't know." Serra replied. She turned and looked out the front window at the streaks of colors of jump space and sighed.Cali... what did you do? Is this you?

The Naginata hung, docked in low orbit above Call'lin. Doctor Tiisi'min, Serra, Katarina, Lexi and Saphina rode a transport to the surface.

"I'm a little shocked such a remote world would have an actual transport system." Lexi said.

"Is the Naginata not capable of atmospheric travel?" Saphina asked.

"She's built to withstand the reentry passage, but I wanted her to stay in low orbit for now." Serra replied. As the shuttle grew close to the surface, it was urgently hailed. A quick back and forth with the shuttle copilot and someone on the surface. He looked to the pilot and then toward the passengers.

"Hold on tight!" He said just as the shuttle banked hard and flew off course.

"What's going on?!" Serra demanded.

"A skirmish has broke out at Grenlin outpost! We're going to the Derna outpost instead." He replied.

"How far is that?!" Lexi asked.

"Two miles." The pilot shouted over the rumble of the engines. The crew looked at each other grimly.

"Now what?" Saphina asked.

"We head to Derna and we take the doctor and his supplies wherever they are needed." Serra replied.

"This is... not unusual." The doctor remarked.

"But you didn't bother to tell us?" Lexi said.

A few minutes later, the shuttle set down hard on a makeshift landing pad. Serra jumped up and turned to her crew.

"Okay, let's unload the supplies and get the cart moving. Remember, there's fighting nearby, so stay alert."

Katarina disembarked first and scanned the area. Her warrior's instincts ignited. Gunfire could be heard in the distance and Kat yanked her pistol off her hip and primed the firing mechanism. The warrior bolted ahead of the rest fifty yards in a surprisingly short period and scanned the horizon. The area around Derna outpost was a desert with little vegetation, she could see the fight, reading in the distance. As the rest finally reached her position with the mule cart, an explosion appeared just over the rise. Kat turned to the crew.

"I need you to stay here until I can assess the situation." Her muscles tensed and her combat reflexes took over. Her focus narrowed. She had been one of the greatest leaders and warriors the Crimson Empire has seen in a generation, and now she was truly in her element. The fighting, weapons discharging and explosions took her back to those days not so long ago. She fought and killed so many beings in her, relatively speaking, short life. Even though she moved with the grace and deadlines of an apex predator, she suddenly felt slow and clumsy, and this made her angry. Her anger gave her focus. She had spent entirely too much time not training and keeping her skills as sharp as a deadly blade. To all that observed her, she seemed as fast and deadly as any they had ever seen.

"Kat-" Serra tried to interject, trying to keep up with her. Kat held up her hand. She returned to Serra and put her powerful arm around the captain's waist.

"For me, please stay here." She said and followed with a kiss. Serra nodded nervously. Kat turned her attention to Lexi who took up position a few years away aiming her slug carbine on any possible targets that may appear.

"Lexi, on my six." Kat said and bolted off. The former hit woman waited three seconds and ripped over the rise and followed Kat. Saphina took up the position next to Serra. Her eyes filled with concern.

"They're both tough as nails, they'll be just fine." Serra assured her. She wasn't sure she believed it, but saying out loud comforted her. It had been a very long time since Serra had been in a real combat situation, and she was wracked with nervousness. The "mess" at Kyree's place didn't really matter to her, but this was like when she was with the Templars and a handful of skirmishes she'd been in during her time. She hoped to never be in this situation again, yet here she was... here they were.

Across the system, in fringe space, several figures in long black coats stood on a landing platform hidden away from the rest of the settlement. A shuttle appeared on the horizon and slowly approached. One of the men leaned toward an older woman and spoke.

"Why are we doing this ma'am?"

"Stay in your lane Cral, this is a special op, we're doing what we're told, without question." She emphasized the last two words. Cral stepped back in line and watched the shuttle lower to the ground. The engines began to wind down as the loading ramp dropped in the red of the shuttle. A group of six mercenaries disembarked pushing a wheeled mule. They stopped a few meters away. The woman stepped forward and frowned.

"Where's your boss?"

"I'm here!" A voice called from the open boarding portal on the side of the shuttle above them. She smiled and jumped down a few feet from her.

"A bit of a flair for the dramatic, eh?" The black-coated woman rolled her eyes.

"Is it just my... style." Kyree smirked. "I love drama!"

"Fine, fine... is that the item?" She asked, gesturing to the mule.

"Of course! Do you have the credits?" Kyree asked. The woman waved to one of the other soldiers who stepped forward and set a case on the ground at Kyree's feet. She knelt down and opened the case. Nodding approvingly, she motioned for one of her followers to collect the case.

"Nice doing business with you." Kyree smiled.

"Uh huh." the woman nodded.

"Oh!" Kyree paused, "Do you have that...other thing I asked for?"

"Yes, yes.. "

Kyree approached her, "Yeah?"

She sighed, "Your ex is on the way to Call'lin. Also, there's a bit of an uprising there at the moment, so she may be there for awhile."

"Perfect." Kyree smiled and turned away. "Load up people!"

The woman and her soldiers stayed in the platform until Kyree's shuttle had faded in the distance. The woman turned to her followers. "Follow them."

Quickly three of the soldiers hurried off.

"What now commander?" Cral asked her. She approached the mule and pulled back the sheet. A large, bald man laid there cold and dead.

"Who is that, and why do we need him?" he asked.

"That, is our secret weapon." She replied.