And Where She Stops...
“Fortune converts everything to the advantage of her favorites.”
---Francois de La Rochefoucauld
“Just a metaphor, dear Dena the Magnificent!” the Elf retorted consolingly with a warm smile. The others were just as curious. She continued, “Our next little encounter with the legend in his own mind that is Husim, shall play even more to our own historic strengths than the 'Sleep-Over' we just had as his guests.”
Pim had left her little module on. Mim and Yula were taking turns leaping back and forth at the frozen holo of Husim's lackey, swatting at his head as they passed.
Over the next couple days, the company set about making arrangements for what the Captain had in mind for their coup d'grace. It was almost surreal: the Naud phalanx, just meters away all around the Huntress, had no inclination that their fate was being shaped by just ten women aboard an invisible ship nestled in their very midst. The Elf was uncommonly reclusive during all those preparations, but on the third day she stepped onto the bridge.
“Ravena, please read our sisters into the end game of this operation while I go and get into costume. I've been looking forward to this play's debut for a long, long time...” The Elf strode from the bridge, through her ready room toward her boudoir with Mim and Yula skipping close on her heels.
All eyes were on Ravena, “Before I detail the brief thrust of this particular operation,” she nodded to Pim. “Commander? If you will tell us what else you accomplished on the flagship while waiting for Reia and Jista to rejoin you?” The others spun on Pim. She grinned and her shoulders rose perceptibly.
“Just a little fun, really. You see...”
As the company was finishing taking in the limited background Pim supplied then absorbed their responsibilities in this next chapter of operations, the Elf sauntered from her apartments down to the hangar bay. She boarded each of their yachts and set them to cloak. Then standing in what appeared to be merely a vacant hall, she went to the control panel on the wall and set the bay doors' field to active. Then she touched the Com switch. “All ready down here. Please ping me when you're ready up there.”
Song's voice answered her from the bridge, “Reia is maneuvering the Huntress as we speak my Captain.”
Pim added, “Transferring controls to your arm band, Captain. And Captain?”
“Yes my clever girl?” the Elf smiled.
“It will work!” she confirmed.
“Not a doubt in my mind, dearest.” She walked toward the huge bay doors and there was a 'ping' from her wrist. She glanced down at the addition to her formal Court robes and smiled. The Elf was dressed as if she were attending her ascendency rite. Never as long as her company had known her had she been so immaculately regal. She was an imperious vision of beauty to behold. She touched a couple buttons at her wrist and the lighting of the bay dimmed as a single spotlight on herself alone followed her approach to the hangar doors.
“Showtime!” she announced, and the main viewer on the bridge shifted to the video feeds of the loading bay. The Company was holding their breath as they watched the back of their Captain silhouetted in the murky ISM beyond the opening great bay doors.
“Huntress to the Borantus,” she called aloud.
On the bridge, Pim touched a specific series of controls in front of her.
The main view screen on Captain Husim's bridge aboard the Borantus sprang from the gloom of the Waghtnin embedded cluster that was their refuge, to be filled with the illumined face of the Elf. The Borantus's First Officer's eyes grew as round as saucers; his com officer shook his head back and forth futilely trying to rid the screen of the uninvited vision. The now frantic Commander stabbed at a com link, “Captain, you should come to the Bridge, NOW...”
The Elf didn't smile, she asked simply, “Is Husim taking his beauty rest? I can wait.”
In a flurry of clatter and commotion, Captain Husim barged onto his bridge and stopped suddenly as his eyes took in the image filling his screen. He seemed to gather his dignity and slowly approached his proper seat.
The Elf finally allowed herself a wan smile, “Ah, Graunta Anteron, how lovely that you came so quickly when I summoned you.”
Captain Husim was visibly struggling to squelch his temper at hearing her condescending remark---to him and without a shred of evinced respect! Then his eyes narrowed and a flash of recognition pervaded his countenance. “Tera Inghean Elphinstone of the insignificant planet: Earth?” His face settled into a sneer and his voice was pure disdain. “Gone native I see by your tattooed spots and silly surgically pointed ears... tut, tut. I thought you would amount to more than a...”
On the Huntress's bridge, Pim touched the next series of controls and the Elf was projecting to every bridge on every ship in the little fleet.
“Silence!” the Elf commanded and every bridge's speakers reverberated so loudly that their Captains and their command crews had to press their hands to their ears. She continued in a more pleasant tone, “Graunta Anteron...” she continued to use the absolutely forbidden familiar first names of Husim---extraordinarily demeaning to him personally and his command by association.
“...I haven't time to listen to your driveling opinions and spurious speculations. I am only offering this communication as a courtesy. Your little fleet has ten minutes to surrender your ships and stand down your weapons systems, before I am forced to give the order for your complete destruction.” In a wistful voice she added, “The Illian apocalypse was almost a spiritual experience for me, I do hope you refuse...”
As she was speaking she manipulated her wrist control so that only the main viewer on Husim's bridge slowly panned. Her own face began to recede as the murky star field of the Waghtnin gradually replaced the dimness around the spotlight that expanded to include her fully robed form, flanked on either side by two very large, very fearsome looking temple guardians whose tails flicked back and forth hungrily. As she spoke the last line: 'I do hope you refuse...' Husim and his bridge crew were staring directly in front of their ship's bridge at the actual form of the Elf standing with her attendants in the opening of her loading bay that looked to them like a narrowly illumined dais---floating in front of their eyes without an attendant ship! And not thirty yards from where he stood on his own bridge!
He gulped and turned to his officers apparently trying to voice a command but nothing came out, so whelmed into total shock.
The Elf made an expression of ennui. “No clever words? Hmm? No vitriolic defiance? Have it then as you please; I care not at all.” As if as an afterthought, “I suppose this shall be a little different than Illian... All this dense and explosive ISM everywhere.”
She touched her cuff and at once the Naud bridges' view screens returned to their own control and her own image vanished from Husim's. All that was left of the encounter was a superimposed timer counting down in front of their eyes. It was passing eight minutes and was still counting down.
Husim found his voice, “Fire all plasma cannons off our bow, you idiots!”
The officer at the weapons control stabbed over and over at his triggers. Nothing. Husim advanced on him; tossed him aside like an old coat and stabbed at the firing controls himself, futilely. Still Nothing. He turned back to the empty view screen and screamed a long piteous wail, “Elf!”
The timer on their screen passed seven minutes and still no order had been given to evacuate. His officers weren't certain what more terrorized them at that moment: their Captain's debasement and impotency, or their imminent destruction as condemned by the Elf before their very eyes. Just because Husim's ship wasn't escaping yet, that wasn't true for the others in the fleet. The Waghtnin was no longer a safe refuge and they were wrinkling out from it in all directions.
On the Huntress, the Elf strolled back onto her bridge accompanied by Mim and Yula. She glanced up at the main viewer set to track the escaping fleet. Her company grinned at her in devout respect. She mused, still looking at the mini-diaspora, “Like cockroaches when the kitchen light comes on...”
She seated herself in the Captain's chair with a flourish of her robes---a very imperial gesture. “Let's give 'em a taste of Illian. Pim?”
With a glance at the timer, Pim held her finger poised over the last of her well-designed controls. The timer slid to the last ten seconds, Pim uttered, “On your command my Captain.”
The Elf looked out at the distant Waghtnin embedded cluster on the main viewer. “Light 'er up, Commander.”
The shock wave of the near nova-like explosion wouldn't reach them for several minutes. The Huntress had been wrinkling away from the cluster, since the Elf retired to her boudoir to change, toward another much smaller stellar dust cloud so similar in density to the Waghtnin it made a most convincing stage for their show. The effect of the destruction, the image of the almost divine Elf condemning them, would be imprinted on the psyches of the escaping Naud ships' crews for all time. And the mere whisper of the Elf's name would be enough to send them scurrying to cover. That she had in fact only ignited a separated portion of the Waghtnin that had been mined for this spectacle as soon as her probes had discovered the anomaly, that needn't ever come to light.
The Elf rose, “I'm going to put on something more appropriate for stations-keeping;” and left the bridge.
Most importantly of all however: Husim had to advance his plans before he was ready. The Huntress really only had to track one member of his disparate fleet---Ustra's ship, the Gammadil---Husim wouldn't let his only lead toward his prize out of his grasp after finally acquiring it. Then of course the Huntress could neutralize the rest of them one after the other, track the remainder to the yet undiscovered 'rest' of the Naud on the frontier and still comply with the terms of their contract.
Before the Elf returned to the bridge, Pim clapped her hands in delight, “My greatest masterpiece to date!”
Isin chuckled as it dawned on them all what had actually just taken place. “A holo transmission to the Borantus main viewer?”
Pim just nodded.
Senta added admiringly, and a feedback loop fed into their control systems for communication and fire control?”
Pim's grin was even broader if that were possible.
The Elf returned to her seat; Mim and Yula took up their customary perches.
“Pursuit course of the phalanx under 'command' of the ship you and Senta reconnoitered is laid in Captain,” Reia announced.
“ETA to the Corona Zed system—as you anticipated,” Jista added, “twelve days, two hours.”
The Elf held up her finger then as slowly dropped it forward, “Engage!” As an after thought she added, “Melnith, Reshta and Hanur will just have to wait a while... We are on-task; just not per the Guild's 'specific' wish list...”
The Huntress sprang into the wrinkle toward their next destination and would arrive well before the much slower Naud corvettes. Dena asked, “Captain? What about all those conscripts aboard those ships?”
“Sadly, we weren't able to effect an immediate remedy to their plight;” the Elf consoled, “However, we shall have our work cut out for us---as each of this little fleet is overtaken---returning the Naud captives to their respective home worlds. It might be an easier task if you were to make a request of the Guild to dispatch Sargassian assistance for that chore; maybe even fill them in on our further developments... ask for recommendations regarding the refugees? Whatever strikes your fancy to parlay for shall be good by me.”
Dena brightened, “That shall be a pleasure, my Captain. Right away!” She went to sit next to Song at the Com and began entering the data and request.
“Now, Reia?” The Elf sighed melodramatically, “whatever are we going to do for entertainment on this next leg of our voyage? Now that we already have two most effective and---to our eyes only---attractive yachts and no more little construction projects...”
Reia glanced to the rest of the company; they smiled back at her. “Actually, my Captain, we have been preparing against the first opportunity to not be creeping around Naud ships, crawling through construction projects and making our Dena the best she can be...”
The Elf offered the appropriate expression of 'oh?'
“Indeed,” Dena supplied as she sent off the communique to the Guild. “We have a little surprise for you---that doesn't involve our contract in the least!”
Elenir and Ravena rose after putting their stations on remote, “We'll just pop on down to the galley and...” Senta gave them a 'Don't say another word' expression.
Isin and Senta rose, and following the rest of the company, led a bemused Elf off the bridge and to the galley. “What could possibly be such a surprise that not a word of it has slipped?” She stopped and looked at her sisters, “You've heard from the Matriarch?!”
Isin chuckled, “You wish. No, our Auntie the Matriarch has not deigned to check up on us...” Senta added, “Seriously? Why would she? The Matriarch does have an empire to run...” Isin sighed, “Much too busy to follow the progress of just one contract, of just one ship among the thousands that forward the Lascorii people's aims.”
They reached the galley. Senta and Isin held the Elf's arms and made her to understand she should wait where she stood. They went to flank the rest of the company now standing shoulder to shoulder in front of the main dining table facing her. “Okay! Y'all's sense of drama is duly noted,” the Elf crossed her arms. “What is so secret that you nine rascals must make such a show of presenting it?”
Elenir and Ravena, in the center of the line stepped forward and away; the others parted likewise until the Elf saw what was on the table behind them. She gasped and her hands went to her mouth; tears began to form at the corners of her eyes as she looked from one to the other of her officers. Each smiling face beamed warmly back at her, unheeding of the effects of gazing into the eyes of an impassioned Lascor Princess---the Princess of all---then she was staring at the cake with candles and the one beautifully wrapped gift in front of it.
On a silent cue, they began: 'Happy birthday to you; Happy birthday to you; Happy birthday dearest sister...”
“Wait!” the Elf held up her hands. They stopped, still grinning like school girls. “How could you? Where did you find...? What in the name of Reja the first have you...”
Dena spoke for them. “Highness; it took a bit of research, but...”
Pim laughed out loud, “Like enough com traffic to drain our reserve power cells.”
Dena blushed a little and continued, “But we really wanted to impress you...” Song rushed to continue.
“...And once Jista pointed out that it was on this day...”
Jista added sheepishly, “...That you always holed yourself up in your quarters; no matter what contract we were on, no matter where we were.”
Song completed, “Well, like Dena said, with a little research we found out why.”
“And Ravena knew your home world's traditions for such an event.” Isin said confidently.
Ravena shrugged, “When the Matriarch first began down the path of bringing you closer and closer to herself, I was assigned to find out all we could about the Earth from which you had arisen.”
Elenir added, “We really didn't know how many 'candles' to add...”
Senta finished, “Twenty-nine is just such a wonderfully prime number!”
The Elf's eyes were fixed, she had to hold up her hand to stop the chattering explanations, still looking at the little wrapped gift. “You are all the most wonderful sneaks a girl could ever count as dearest friends. But, what's with the present?”
All eyes turned to Jista. “Uh... Well, it seems my little escapade rifling through Husim's personal papers allowed for us to turn up something we kinda forgot...”
“'Overlooked' is more like it;” Song interrupted.
“Anyway,” Reia tried to explain, “while we were so intent on finding out what he was looking for, by scanning his papers...”
Senta confessed, “...that it wasn't until Pim...”
Pim rolled her eyes; “I didn't find it, though! Isin sensed what it might mean...”
Isin ducked an imaginary blow. “No! Ravena's the one who translated the clues, and...”
Reia pushed back her shoulders, “But I stole it.”
The Elf held up her hand again and the quibbling ceased abruptly. “I get it. You all had a hand in 'it;' whatever 'it' is.”
Pim took a deep breath; reached for the gift and went to stand at the table, behind the waiting be-candled cake. “You're supposed to make a wish and extinguish the burning wax---that's what Ravena said.”
Ravena looked very 'knowledgeable' all of a sudden and nodded her head officiously. The Elf had to laugh. “Alright...” and she stepped forward, took a deep breath and before even letting a whisper of air escape, she flicked a finger over the candles and they went out at once. She let out her breath slowly. “Now. What have my dear friends found to be the ideal gift to accompany such a wonderfully thoughtful cake and party for my,” and she winked: “'twenty-ninth' birthday?”
Pim humbly knelt on one knee; the rest of the company did likewise. She held the gift forward to the Elf on raised arms, saying, “A token of our greatest esteem and fealty to...”
Reia continued, “...the greatest Captain...”
Followed by Jista, “...the most cherished friend...”
Then Song, “...the most beautiful and gracious...”
Elenir nodded, “...brightest and merciful...”
Added Ravena “...Wisest and honored...”
Dena smiled through tears and bowed deeply, “...Wealthiest in heart and spirit...”
Senta and Isin finished together, “...grandest Princess Lascor has known since the dawn of our people's arising.” “Take this which is yours by all that is right and just.” She took the gift from Pim's outstretched hands and placed the gift into those of the Elf.
The Elf reached to unknot the tidy little bow and ribbon around the box, its only adornments. As the ribbon fluttered to the deck, the Elf looked at her company, “I am already so whelmed that whatever this is it cannot bring any more happiness to my heart than that which you all have showered upon me this day.” With that said, she pulled open the lid and looked inside. Her forehead furrowed in confusion. She reached inside and removed the contents and held it in her palm before the assembled crew. “A rock?”
She thought she'd perhaps held all their eyes too long and mushed their brains. They erupted into a deafening laughter that took several minutes to subside. All the while the Elf recounted to herself everything the Matriarch had told her about how to remedy as far as possible any unintended damage she might wreak on an innocent victim.
Ravena regained some control of herself, enough to take a page of paper from her vest pocket and unfold it. She smoothed it out on the table next to the cake. “Not a rock, my grand lady. It is in... uh...”
“Disguise!” Isin, Elenir and Senta exclaimed at once. The others nodded gravely, all mirth gone from their expressions.
Reia recounted how when she was brushed aside by the most frustrated and exasperated lackey, she inadvertently strew all the things from the top of the sideboard that broke her fall. “The mess was all over the floor; I put everything back as quickly as I could... Then something happened I haven't told y'all about yet... But since the Boss said Yula helped her and even the Boss couldn't imagine how Yula got there... well...” She looked at the others who were now very interested that there was even more to the story---especially Jista who was right there too!
Reia continued, “I haven't brought it up because it's just so improbable, but this is what happened: Yeah, I bumped the sideboard, and yes everything was strewn on the floor, and yes, I got busy putting everything back as quickly as I could... but then, I'm on my knees with just a few baubles left, I glance sideways to see how Jista's wrapping things up and when I turn back,” Reia pointed to Mim. “She is staring at me, with that little rock between her paws! She looks down at the stone then back up at me---and I swear it all took like the blink of an eye... I know because I blinked. Seriously I couldn't believe it. So I cock an eye at the lackey; he's picking up pieces with his back to me, Jista is done with the desk... so... I sorta kinda felt compelled to pocket that little bit---I got the distinct impression she,” and Reia nodded to the most serene face of Mim again, “She really wanted me to bring it back to the Huntress... to you actually.” Reia heaved a sigh of relief. “You know I don't care if y'all believe me, it felt good to get that off my chest.”
Once the rest of them recovered from the odd tale, Pim explained, “So Ravena and I were going back through all the images these two recorded in that room and that page leapt out at her...” she pointed at the sheet smoothed out next to the cake.
Ravena attempted to mediate Reia's breach of protocol, “We are constrained by our oath to: 'never take anything but our shado