Chapter 41

Pri felt a strange sensation as she opened her eyes, as if she was not fully here, wherever this awful place was. She felt a hollow emptiness inside her, surrounded by a dreadful cold and empty existence, like a wasteland in the mind. Not all was despair as there was a circular ring of light in front of her that chased away some of the surrounding darkness. It filled her with hope and joy, and she could not fathom why. She took a few paces towards the gate, and saw a figure on the other side, a very familiar figure, standing in a beautiful, but not fully discernable place.

“Jalkoru?” she whispered, feeling a burst of emotion fill that hollow emptiness in her heart as she recognized his presence before fully seeing him.

“Heart-of-Color.” He replied in a soft, gentle tone. “Day dawns at last that see’s us reunited.”

Pri stood before the ring, the gateway of warmth that offered peace, wanting to pass through to join him in the light of the other side, yet something held her in place.

“Is this...?” She hesitated to finish.

“Death?”

He saw her nod.

“It is. This is the threshold beyond the veil. You stand before the Zamanian gate, and I await to guide you on, if you so choose.” Jalkoru held out his hand, and she reached out to take it.

Pri hesitated before they touched, and saw something in his eyes, something that told her that he knew she was not yet ready to join him. Jalkoru pulled his hand back and Pri stood there with a growing feeling of hurt and sorrow, now filling her like an empty vessel under a running faucet.

“I am sorry, Jal.” She whispered as she slumped to her knees before the gate. “You are everything, been everything, a pillar of support under immense weight. Two hearts of one purpose to see way through everything that befell us.”

“Yet you are not ready to rejoin hearts.” Jalkoru took a kneeling position before her. “I know thoughts upon mind.”

“Apologies...” Pri lowered her head and took her tail between her hands, clenching it as tight as she could.

“You have no need for apology,” Jalkoru reached for her, but was stopped by an unseen barrier at the gate. “I cannot reach out to you, Heart-Of-Color. I am bound to this place, to exist here until we reunite.”

Pri saw the pain in his face, pain that must match her own anguish in the knowledge that their reunion would be stalled. She looked past him, and the place beyond came into focus, their place. A small clearing on an overlook that offered a wonderful view of a tropical river valley. Tall peaks flanked the valley. Peaks with large precipitous drops where waterfalls cascaded in great cataracts, painting the sky in misty colors as the sun caught the water vapor. A hidden place on Sikarra that they had seen before they went to war and had planned to build a home there once they had returned.

“Oh...” Pri felt her heart tearing inside.

“This place is a fine place to await reunion.” Jalkoru gave her a warm look and she met his eyes. “There is no need for conflict in heart. Return to your friends. Our time of union will come, but I see it is not meant for today.”

“I am so sorry, Jal.” Pri spoke with a low tone, barely above a whisper. “I want nothing more than to return to your side.”

“We could face anything when you were,” he recited their shared opinion. “But your time with them is not yet finished, I feel it in heart and mind. There is still more for you to do, should you choose to go back. I feel there are tasks you must see completed before we unite, or you will carry a haunted burden when your time has come.”

“I do not understand,” Pri gave him a look of confusion.

“Things are not meant for clarity, not yet. They will be revealed when the time necessitates their need. Besides...” He waved a hand and the land beyond vanished, now changing to a hall with artwork spanning the walls.

Pri looked on in wonder before things started to click. All the artwork was done by her hand. Everything she had done since he died, was here, decorating the walls.

“ ... You still have stars to paint, Heart-of-Color...”

Pri opened her mouth to cry, but no sound came out. She clutched her chest, letting her tail fall to the ground before she heard a voice behind her. It was faint, distorted, yet recognizable. A voice from familiar people.

“Come back to us, Pri, please. Don’t go...”

Pri stood up and looked behind her, still seeing nothing more than a deep, empty void. She looked back to Jalkoru, and saw him smiling at her, making a gesture to say, ‘return to them’. Pri took a deep breath and thought about her choice. Her life had been hurt, disappointment, failure, and loneliness for as long as she cared to remember. Jalkoru had given her a ray of light and for once she had felt joy. To go to him would be a return to joy. To go back there would be happiness in her friends, but there would be hurt and pain to accompany it and the reality that Jalkoru would not be there. Pri stood and closed her eyes for a moment, before looking at Jalkoru and then she gave him a smile.

Jack had swapped into his void suit and traded his large kmg over for a compact subgun, returning to the hangar just as the last of the passengers from the Sumpter exited the hangar. Spurius had already begun making the Scapa ready for departure. Jack assisted him in locking in a radio guidance system under each wing, fastening them to hardpoints in a swift manner before Jack climbed into the cockpit and departed the Astral Feather. He throttled up on his Scapa and headed away from the traffic around Pranza station. His comm panel lit up as a marker blinked in the Donoval Belt and Lucinia came in over his radio.

“Raven this is Nest, how copy? Over.”

“Raven reads you loud and clear Nest, over.”

“Raven, transponder track puts escaped shuttle on rendezvous course with notified location, break. Site is Bravo November orbital, used to support illicit activities in-system. Extreme caution recommended on approach, how copy? Over.”

“Raven copies all points, over.”

“Raven, what is the mission plan, over?”

“Nest, Raven will intercept shuttle or any departures from orbital and preform containment, over.”

“Nest copies. What is plan to stop shuttle, over?”

“Intercept and arrest shuttle from movement. If that fails, mobility kill is only chance Nest, over.”

“Nest copies Raven. Second shuttle on approach with rest of crew and rescues. Will be trailing at all haste, over.”

Roger that Nest. Relay status as it changes, out.” Jack was still bringing the Scapa’s systems online during the radio conversation and set a course for the Black Nova station.

“Hang on Sweetie,” He whispered. “We won’t stop until we have you back...”

Jack powered up the compression cannon and noted he had just over four hundred rounds for it, a paltry amount that would become a serious issue if he was faced with a dogfight.

His other offensive weapon was the radio guidance system he and Spurius had attached. It was a jury-rigged follow and fire system Nyka had devised but they had not yet tested, initially meant for his Vitgar fighter. As his current license grade prohibited him from carrying offensive ordinance on the wing hardpoints, Nyka’s system allowed for a loophole workaround. The attachments would guide Comet rockets to his wings, just out of physical contact to technically ‘stay legal’. From there, they would be slaved to his controls, responding exactly as he did, so long as the system stayed functional and uninterrupted. It was not the best scenario as it relied on a lot of variables and it carried risks, but it gave much needed offensive capability.

Jack went into astro drive just outside the outer limit boundary around Pranza Secundus. His time to the orbital was just under twenty minutes and he figured that was about how long of a lead the Black Nova shuttle had on him. The vice crushing his stomach kept tightening ever more as he thought of Kazlaena, and now he was beginning to feel the effects of the Salakane injection setting in. He nearly threw up in his helmet when he heard of Pri’s failing condition, even considering going to be at the side of his friend if she was to pass. That, however, would leave Kazlaena to the mercy of those who would have none after what Jack and the crew had just done to them. Jack did his best to push away the despair growing in his mind, readying himself for the next battleground. Despite his efforts to keep a clear mind, he wondered if he would ever find peace and acceptance for everything that had happened.

As the Scapa closed on the orbital, Jack received a notification that the Astral Feather was under way. He would have to be careful as he would not have the support of the ship for about ten minutes. Jack cut the Astro drive a fair distance from the station and banked towards a field of asteroids. He could not yet see the structure visually, but he picked it up on radar, which meant he would be on their scope if they were paying attention. He switched over to a narrow band, secure channel that utilized steganography to communicate with the Feather. Essentially his messages would come in clear to any listener aboard the Feather, but third-party listeners would hear an entirely different conversation, hiding the true message in plain sight.

“Nest this is Raven, how copy? Over.” Jack said.

“Raven, Nest has you Lima Charlie, over.” Lucinia replied.

“Raven copies, Nest. Concealed in pebbles, advancing to destination. Will observe and report, over.”

“Nest copies, out.”

Jack made his way through the asteroids cautiously. Groups like Black Nova were known to have defenses hidden in rock belts. Even Valeria had run into a situation or two in mining out belts and discovering hidden explosives or weapon systems from an earlier time. In the cluster Jack was moving through, he did detect bits of metal but they were inert in purpose, being discarded material rather than countermeasures or traps.

A flashing light on his console drew his attention and Jack saw the transponder of the Astral Feather at extreme range. They were still a few minutes out, but their closing presence brought relief from a building tension in his stomach. Another light on his panel began blinking and a beep every five seconds alerted him to the presence of bogies on radar. A moment later, Jack saw three separate pings on his radar, maneuvering into an intercept course.

Jack popped a pair of decoy canisters, then banked down and left of their approach. A few moments later he got a read on them, seeing the profile of Kondra starfighters on a display panel and his stomach tightened in fear. They were current gen voidcraft, found in the wings of League carriers and space defense platforms, not among underworld organizations that had to somehow acquire them from a defense contractor who had a delivery ‘go missing’. On top of their advanced build and tech, they had a three to one advantage.

“Nest, this is Raven, e.t.a.? Over.”

“Raven, Nest is three minutes out, over.”

“Copy Nest. Send a pair of hatchlings asap, over.” Jack said into the radio.

“Raven, Nest copies, two hatchlings will be on the way asap, stand by for pick up, over.”

“Raven copies, out.” Jack banked around a large rock to use as cover.

The Kondra’s approached the decoys for a moment, then made a sharp turn and began advancing on his location.

“Fuck!” Jack spat and went offensive, letting a twenty round burst go at the lead Kondra, before moving his craft in a sideways motion back into cover.

He could see a pair of asteroids behind him, drifting closely together that could offer an ambush site if he could get there without being seen. Jack began moving with backwards momentum, keeping his nose facing the direction of the advancing Kondras. He was near the pair of asteroids when the lead Kondra appeared over the apex of the asteroid in front of him but was not able to engage Jack. The Kondra had expected to ambush Jack from above, moving with their nose facing down and giving Jack a solid view of the side profile of their craft. Forty more rounds made their way to the lead Kondra, and Jack knew he had struck home as the enemy fighter jinked wildly. Debris from the Kondra flew off and the pilot seemed to struggle to get back into cover, just as their wingmen came around the asteroid from either side. They identified Jack’s Scapa and maneuvered to engage just as he lined up on the left one, squeezing off a short volley just before taking cover behind one of the asteroids. Jack was uncertain if he had scored any hits, but a few pings and shudders alerted him that the Kondra’s had managed to strike him. A quick glance at his control panel told him that the Scapa’s armor had held. What ensued next was a brief exchange of cannon fire from Jack and the advancing Kondra’s. The wingmen did their best to fire and suppress where they thought Jack would emerge, as he did his best to emerge from cover, fire a few rounds, then return to cover. During their advance on the asteroids, Jack had received a signal that the Astral Feather was nearing the location. He saw another grouping of rocks closer behind him and to his right side, giving him another fallback location, but after that, he would have a long distance to the next cover grouping. Jack needed to go now, or he would be in danger, so he began another movement procedure where he was essentially flying backwards. The Kondra’s emerged from behind the asteroids before he made it to cover, however, and the lead Kondra lined up on him.

A moment later, an ominous chirp filled the cockpit, and he knew they were zeroing in for a missile lock. The lead Kondra’s wingmen were firing at him, but not on him, nearly breaking his focus as he wondered why they didn’t go fangs out for the kill. They had him, had to have him dead in their sights, but it seemed as if the leader was the one meant for the kill. Jack made a risky maneuver and nosed down, then let off a pair of radar decoys that moved towards the lead Kondra, then he did a half roll and slipped between two close rocks, just as an alert of incoming comets chimed. Being safe behind the rock cluster, Jack finished the roll and turned on the radar guidance system, leading the comets toward him. They homed in on his wings, approaching the guides, then synced up with his controls and turned as he rolled back to his original planar alignment. He would have to be fast, as the Comets had very limited capability for lateral movement, designed rather to turn around to re-engage if they needed to.

Jack sent two more decoys out, one up and one below his cover, counted to five, then he made a vertical climb maneuver and spotted the lead Kondra also moving over the zenith of the asteroid cluster. It only took a moment for the Comets to achieve a lock, and Jack sent one into the lead Kondra along with a twenty-round burst. The shots from his compression cannon rattled the Kondra, spoiling the pilot’s frantic burst of return fire, just as the Comet impacted on the armored cockpit, blowing the front end off of the Kondra. Jack pressed for full forward momentum and flew through the expanding debris field, then hastily programmed an ewar canister to release in the direction of the wingmen now behind him. He flew for the pair of asteroids in front of him as the wingmen Kondra’s figured out he had bailed and picked up his evasion movement. They lined up on him and he could hear a tone in his cockpit, like a buzz or a growl. He began flying erratically, anticipating a spray of compression cannon rounds any moment, but a fast blip tone notified him that his ewar canister was doing its job. The tracking system of the Kondra’s was spoilt as they tried to engage the Scapa, though that did not stop them from firing at him.

“Nest, Raven is engaged, splash one hostile, two more hostiles active and in pursuit, request engagement, over.”

“Raven, Nest is tracking hostile craft for engagement, maintain evasive stance, over.” Lucinia said back.

Jack moved in a downward direction and began heading under the asteroids. The Kondra’s followed with their cannons and Jack felt his Scapa rattle and shudder, looking in his rear facing view to see damage on his fuselage. He saw the Kondra’s fast approaching, suggesting they were utilizing the turbo booster at their disposal to close in on him. Jack took cover behind one of the rocks and moved to a position where he could engage the hostiles, seeing them pull a maneuver that caught him off guard. One was high while the other was low in orientation to the asteroid, both with their noses pointed at the rocks, using their guns to suppress Jack. He had to drop out of sight and pull a fast lateral movement to take refuge behind the other rock. They had seen him though, and as they passed by, Jack rolled his Scapa in a bizarre maneuver. Though wild and unorthodox, his peculiar roll created angles for many of the enemy rounds to either miss or ricochet at odd angles rather than cause serious damage. Jack maneuvered away after his evasion attempt and felt his controls respond with a sluggish manner. He saw rounds from the enemy Kondra’s had damaged one wing and his ailerons and had shredded his tail section. His craft was no longer atmospheric viable, but he didn’t need that here in space. He had several cautions on his cockpit screen and understood his fighter had taken internal damage, though minimal. As he took cover, Jack moved to attempt to engage one of the Kondra’s with his remaining Comet rocket, but it was not there. His wild maneuver must have thrown it off the transponder guidance and he rapidly dropped back below the rock, just as a barrage of unguided rockets hammered the opposite side of the asteroid. There was some force passthrough from the attack and rock fragments spalled off the back of the asteroid, clattering off his hull as the sound found a medium in the metal of his craft. Jack cursed under his breath and remained in cover, just as a Comet from the Astral Feather raced past in pursuit of the Kondra’s.

“Raven, Nest has splashed one Kondra, preparing to engage the other, stay in cover, how copy, over?”

“Raven will remain in cover, out.” Jack just finished replying when a hailing beep sounded from his control panel.

He hesitated for a moment, considering the risks that may come with opening a channel, but decided to take the risk and accept the transmission.

“Hold! Please abort attack! Kondra flight standing down! Please reply? Over.”

Jack sent a hasty response to the Astral Feather to hold on attack, then replied to the Kondra pilot.

“Kondra, power down weapons and jettison hardpoints, turn on formation and hazard lights, turn off IFF and restart code 6. How copy? Over.”

“Kondra flight copy. Lights on, weapons gone, code 6 up and transponder active, moving 3200 mils, towing wingman capsule, how copy? Over.”

Jack could pick up the fear in the voice of the other pilot and saw their intended flight path would put them in the open from the Astral Feathers position. If it was a trick, it was a bizarre one.