Excerpt From "Reavers of the Void": Aces Face Off

This is it! This is the final day for the Indiegogo campaign, and so here's the final manuscript excerpt. This is from Part 3, during the Battle of Hell's Heart, which is the climax of the novel's story. If this gets you moving, go here and push the project over the line for the Stretch Goal.

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Ramsey’s escape from Hell’s Heart quickly reached both sides. On MacBeth, Gabriela sighed with relief as she waited in Duke Ireton’s quarters. Sibley and Creton smiled at each other as they prepared to return to battle in Baden-Powell, and Ireton smiled at Captain Denten as he called for a rearrangement of the fleet’s battle line. On Revenge, Gori took a deep breath at this big change in the battle. Jack recognized the severity of the situation while fending off the four New Roman aces still out to get him, and Zuzu felt a sense of dread at the news.

“Gori!” Zuzu said, “I’m almost dry. I need to come in!”

“Get in if you can and make it fast.” Jack said, “You’re no good out here with just a sword.”

More missiles flew in from far away now, coming straight for the fortress. “They’re reorganizing their battle line.” Gori said, “Battleships, carriers, and heavy cruisers are standing off while their escorts are coming in to assist the mecha. They’re going for a partial englobement.”

“How many more carriers to go?” Jack said, slipping past the ace flight once more and dodging around a rock. Gori looked on the viewscreen. “Three sunk. Three away. That leaves four. We’re going to be pressed hard to hold this fleet back until everyone else is away.”

“We’ve got our ace in the hole.” Zuzu said, now approaching the ventral aft of Revenge as its hangar ramp extended, “He’s come out if it gets that bad.”

As Zuzu approached the battleship, Ramsey in Durendal marked the location of Anakim, Revenge, and Jack’s Black Knight in addition to the massive Goblin horde as well as Revenge’s Hobgoblin squadron. The remaining pirate escorts and carriers then got marked. Ramsey forwarded that data to Baden-Powell, which spread it to the rest of the allied fleet.

“Where’s that Solar Guardsman?” Jack said, finally getting one of those aces with a beam sword through the chest—and cockpit, and powerplant—and destroying it.

Zuzu, taking in some drinks while the technicians on Revenge’s flight deck hurry through rearming, “Gori?”

Gori looked at the viewscreen for a moment. “Oh no!”

Ramsey locked on to Jack’s Black Knight. “Coming to assist, New Romans.” He closed into range for his beam rifle, and quickly fell in for the fallen comrade, needing no time to adjust to the aces’ teamwork. Yet, having superior power, it became apparent to the three aces that Ramsey should take the lead and wordlessly let him assume the front position in their flight. “Skip the launchers!” Gori said, calling down to the bay, “Rockets and the long rifle. GO!”

Zuzu tossed her empties out and closed up the cockpit as the technicians strapped the rocket pods to Anakim’s legs. A few more attached spare magazines to Anakim’s hips, and Zuzu took the long rifle in hand as she again departed Revenge’s hangar.

“I’m on my way!”

“Good!” Jack said, dodging rifle fire from one direction while in hand-to-hand with another and Ramsey circling for another opening, “I’m also running low and need to fall back.”

Anakim’s thrusters went to full burn and rocketed Zuzu to Jack’s location. As she approached, she took aim with the long rifle and fired. One of the other Cataphracts flew behind a rock, but it wasn’t enough. The rifle’s slug penetrated the rock and lodged into the doomed pilot’s powerplant, causing to explode in a brilliant fireball.

“Stay on Black Knight!” Ramsey said, “I’ll take care of this one.”

Ramsey peeled off, beam rifle ready. Zuzu took aim with the rifle and fired, but Ramsey rolled away from the line of fire with aplomb. Zuzu countered by launching her pods at him, forcing Ramsey to shoot them down and giving Zuzu concealment for her next shot. Ramsey rolled away from that one also, and the next, until he got within range for his rifle. Zuzu swapped to Anakim’s beam rifle and the two began darting between rocks and wrecks, attempting to catch the other out of positions for a fatal shot.

Several rocks got blasted to pebbles, and several wrecks got blasted to pieces, as each scored near-hits that would have proven fatal had they come just a moment earlier or later than when they got under cover. Then Zuzu got an opening on Ramsey, but Ramsey rolled off the line and threw power into the thrusters to rush Zuzu; he swapped the rifle for the beam sword, and Zuzu had to toss her rifle away to get Anakim’s out to block in time.

“Not this time!” Ramsey said, grabbing Anakim’s main hand arm with his off-hand and shoving Anakim into a nearby rock. With his sword arm he reversed the blade and brought it down to thrust into Anakim’s neck. Zuzu saw the stroke coming and tried to block the stroke with her off-hand arm, but even with the beam sword’s blade going through that arm it was not enough. The beam burned through the off-hand forearm, through-and-through its armor and structure, and then pierced Anakim at the neck. Zuzu knew Anakim was now doomed and punched out.

“Damn you, Roland!” she yelled as she recovered her bearings. “I’m going in for our trump card. I’m tired of this.”

Ramsey didn’t hesitate to change targets once he saw Zuzu punch out. He grabbed the long rifle off Anakim’s back and took aim at Black Knight. “One shot left, but it’s all I need.”

Ramsey took aim, waited for the other two Cataphracts to get out of the line of fire, and then fired. Jack felt his mecha lurch with the impact, ripping through the back thrusters. That was enough. Unable to maneuver, Jack soon got overwhelmed and had his mecha’s limbs severed one-two, one-two. He took punched out, getting clear just before the New Roman aces finished Black Knight off.

“Withdraw to MacBeth.” Ramsey said to the New Roman aces, “You’ve gotten your revenge.”

“Almost. The battleship remains.”

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 24

"We're in the clear!" Gori said, "Far can't pursue us much further."

Down in the hanger, still in the cockpit of his mech, Jack snapped back: "Not so fast, Gori. We're missing a major player in this drama."

"Captain, really-"

"Shut up and follow orders, Gori. He's coming, and soon."

A boyish thing, more resembling a wolf pulp on two legs than a boy, approached Jack and handed him a small box. Jack petted the pup and sent him on his way.

"Spin up the drives and prepare to jump to the rendezvous point." Jack said, "Don't worry about me, Gori. I've got my contingency plan in hand."

On the bridge, Gori watch the Maribu slowly turn about, firing its guns as the Revenge pulled away, in a vain attempt to pursue. As Jack removed what appeared to be a palm-sized painted rock from the box and slotted it into his mech's systems, Gori saw an alert of an incoming jump light up.

"There he is!" Jack said, and then he turned his attention to the techs about his mech: "Hurry up! We've got a damned dog to shake off."

The Baden-Powell appeared, already on an intercept approach towards the Revenge. Hanging of its hull like a bunch of desperate refugees were the remaining mechs stationed at Gatewatch, all of which now released their hold and rocketed forward to engage the pirate ship.

"You're right, Captain!" Gori said, "He brought Gatewatch's garrison with him."

"Is his mech out there?"

"No."

"Prepare for boarders, Gori. I'm going to buy us time."

Jack closed up his cockpit, detached from his refueling and rearming waldos, and once more sortied from the ventral hatch. Behind him followed the remaining squadron members. The Maribu and the Revenge continued firing on each other, scoring fewer and fewer hits as the distance grew, but the Revenge's point-defense guns lit up as the Baden-Powell and its allied mechs approached.

"Jack's come out." Ramsey said, "I think he suspects the plan."

"So we go with the alternative then, my lord?" Sibley said.

"That we do. Get ready, Sibley. Creton, take your father's seat. It's time you put your pilot skills to the test."

Creton's face lit up with delight and he eagerly replaced his father in the co-pilot position. Without being asked, he moved fire control to his new station, and took up the controls. Ramsey mussed the boy's hair as he got up, and then looked back as he made ready to sortie.

"We're counting on you, lad!"

"Aye, my lord! You can count on me!"

Sir Ramsey and Sibley went to the launch bay. Sibley adjusted his armor to make room for a locator beacon, and Ramsey adjusted the loadout of his mech to concentrate on close-quarters combat. The two fighting men then nodded at each other, entered the airlock, and then dropped out the ventral hatch. Sibley held on to the hull as Ramsey called forth Durendal, then the elder man switch his hold to the back of Ramsey's mech.

"We're off, Creton! You know what to do!"

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 22

On the bridge of the Tiger of Maribu, Duke Far stood next to the stellar navigation station when an alert sounded.

"Your Grace," a crewman said, "the scout's in position at the suspect location."

"Main screen." Far said, and the video feed from the scout appeared on the big screen. In real time, the scout showed the asteroid pirate base, and its activity resembled that of a panicked wasp hive. Not one of the vessels leaving the base was a warship. Instead, Far witnessed a bunch of pirates in unarmed mechs towing away the stolen container units, apparently leading to a point on the edge of the solar system- right where it opens to deep space.

"Scout, have any warships or mecha come or gone?" Far said, following a hunch.

"None, Your Grace." the scout said, "This is all that's been going on since the base lit up a few moments ago. Just prior to that a burst signal terminated here. Your Grace, this isn't a muster for battle; these pirates are abandoning their base of operations."

Far looked over at his Communications Officer, who nodded affirmatively in anticipation of the question. "Scout, send the trajectory of the burst signal back here. Stay on station, observe, and if detected flee."

"Yes, Your Grace." the scout said, and moments later the requested data appeared. The Communications Officer superimposed the data on a map of the system, revealing a point on the edge of Garmil's Gate's atmosphere.

"General Quarters!" Far said, and the battle lighting came on as the alert klaxons sounded. "Helm, intercept that ascending ship."

The Tiger of Maribu's engines flared to life once more, turning the battleship about and heading away from Gatewatch on an intercept course. As the battleship raced to intercept Redalen's Revenge, the mech squadron aboard ship scrambled and stood ready to launch upon contact.

"Missiles at the ready." Far said, anticipating what's to come, and soon the map updated with positive sensor contact.

"Launch!"

A salvo of missiles fired their engines and flew from their tubes, clearing the battleship before turning and flying towards their target. Immmediately thereafter the mech squadron launched, taking up their formation ahead of the Maribu. The ship's main guns now powered up, anticipating closure to combat ranges presently.

"Enemy missiles inbound!" a crewman said, "Enemy secondary signals confirmed. Tiger Leader has visual confirmation of enemy mecha and their mothership."

"On screen."

Redalen's Revenge appeared on the main screen, starboard side in profile, racing as fast as it can go for the edge of the system.

"Missiles intercepted and destroyed."

"All ahead full! Time for the Tiger to pounce!"

The mech squadrons broke formation and engaged, turning quickly into a series of dogfights, as the Tiger closed on the Revenge

"We've reached gunnery range, Your Grace!"

"FIRE!"

The Tiger's forward turrets opened fire, alternating fire to maintain a steady assault of three-barrel barrages. The first volley scored a glancing blow and coruscated brilliantly off Revenge's shields, but the second hit square on the pirate ship's starboard side. The hit overloaded the shields, bored a hole in the armor and into the hull. Some hapless pirates not incinerated by the shot itself got sucked out into space during decompression before the bulkheads slammed down and sealed off the breach.

Revenge returned fire, tracking the Maribu and firing a barrage from its own turrets. One missed entirely, but two more hit and stressed the shielding on the ship's fore to its limit. A fourth went just high and skated off the shielding over the dorsal hull.

"Now if Roland can just join the battle." Far said, "We can finish Dashing Jack for good."

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 21

The Baden-Powell broke through Garmil's Gate's atmosphere once more, descending well below the clouds to answer the distress call from the noblewomen on retreat.

"The signal's still transmitting, Sir Ramsey." Sibley said, "I expect that as long as the women can keep the raiders out of their secured room, we can home in on that."

"Creton!" Ramsey said, speaking into his microphone, "On the guns, now!"

"Expecting a hostile reception are we?" Sibley said, and in response two blips came on the sensors coming from the noblewomen's location. "Contacts. Look like the escorts for our raiding party."

"Spin up the guns." Ramsay said, "Take them quickly, boy. We don't have time to waste."

Ramsey saw the guns powering up on his console. "Aye, my lord!" Creton said, his enthusiasm plain, "Standing by!"

"Fire when ready." Ramsey said, "Just make certain that you hit."

The turret rotated around the ship's axis, and the cannons pointed down slightly in the direction of their descent. Creton sat at the controls, fixed on the target reticle, as he saw the lead mech in the pirate element come into range. He marked the wingman's position behind the leader, and in a smooth motion shifted his aim to the trailing wingman. The boy pressed the trigger, and the blaster cannons threw forth a burst of hot plasma bolts downrange.

The leader laughed, thinking that the volley was meant for him, only to hear his wingman cry out a moment before dying as the mech's powerplant exploded. Before the leader got his wits about him, Creton sent a second volley. The bolts slammed into his mech's torso, first burning out the armor and then boring through the cockpit--and him--to the same result. Neither go so much as a ranging shot off.

"Scope's clear, my lord." Sibley said, "We're clear to land."

"No time, Sibley." Ramsey said, "Take the con. I'm dropping down, so I want you and Creton hovering overhead just in case."

"Understood, my lord." Sibley said as he changed seats, "Boy, take the co-pilot's chair."

Creton handed Ramsey the knight's baton, and moments later the ventral hatch opened. Ramsey dropped out of his ship, and free-fell the last half-mile or so to the target while the Baden-Powell veered off slightly. It was a good precaution, because now some ground-to-air missile launched from the surface. Ramsey spread his arms and legs wide, and a thin plasma-like energy flashed up to form a gliding suit out of his armor. The ship drew off and shot down the missiles, and then moved forward in case of more ground fire, which did come as both man and machine came within visual range of the wilderness retreat.

"Sibley!" Ramsey said, "Clear a path!"

Creton used the ship's guns to blow apart the makeshift anti-air gun the pirates put up, and then blew up the shuttle they meant to escape with. Those explosions kept the pirates' attention away from Ramsey until it was too late, and the Paladin glided down from above, swooping down upon them like a mighty eagle. In one smooth motion he landed on one pirate, kneeing the fool in the back and cracking the villain's head open upon the pavement, rolled forward, and shot a second dead with his pistol. A third came at him with a club as Ramsey got to his feat, only to be pushed off his line and shot down by Ramsey.

A forth cried out an alert before being shot dead in turn, and Ramsey knew that violence of action now was his only option. He put his pistol in his off-hand, drew his beam sword, and rushed into the retreat. Two came for him from around a corner; Ramsey ran one of them through, used him as a shield against the other and then shot the second down. They came again and again in twos and threes, until he cut down or shot dead a score in total. The last, standing before the armored door to the secured room, fell on his sword than face his doom like a man.

"I am Lord Roland of the Solar Guard." Ramsey said, putting forth his arms before the camera and showing his face, "The raiders are gone. You may come out now."

Moments a dozen nobles and their attendants emerged from the cramped room, taking their turns blessing him and kissing him, before their hostess and leader emerged. Neither eldest nor youngest, but clearly the highest in station by her bearing. She stood up to Ramsey's chest, a woman in the full bloom of youthful beauty, with straight red hair to her shoulders and eyes blue like a clear sky- a visage so striking that Ramsey paused a moment.

"We are grateful for your valor, Lord Roland." she said, "My father will hear of this for certain."

Ramsey bowed, affecting a courtly manner. "The loss of she whom is heralded as God's songbird would be a terrible injury to Christendom, Countess Robin. However, time is short and I must insist upon haste in escaping. Their master lingers nearby."

Countess Robin nodded. "Agreed. Bring forth your ship, Lord Roland. We are many, but we shall not saddle you for long."

Ramsey keyed into his comlink. "Sibley, bring the ship down and have Creton ready to assist. Tell Gatewatch to expect us presently."

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 20

Dashing Jack and his man Gori walked alongside the sensory deprivation tank enclosing the prize he came to Garmil's Gate for: the Watcher Azazel. Surrounded by men carefully controlling the transport of the tank, Jack knew he should feel at ease but was not- a tell that Gori noticed.

"Captain, wouldn't have been easier to wake up our prize and let him walk out under his own power?"

"Gori, you're not a well-read man, are you?" Jack said, "There's a very good reason to keep him under and present him to Red Eyes as he is, and that reason is because the odds of something going catastrophically wrong--killing us, or worse--in the process drop like a stone when the one most capable of doing so remains incapacitated."

"You talk like this is a weapon, Captain."

"Worse, Gori. He's the maker of weapons. This angel is a living, breathing, weapons factory. As as I know too well that rewards are useless if you're dead, I'll take the chance of displeasing Red Eyes over the certainty of reward for delivering what he wants into his hands whole, safe, and sound."

They entered the great lift and ascended to the dock.

"It's also faster to do it this way. No harder than moving a warhead this way, and we've stolen plenty of those recently haven't we? As time is not our ally-"

Gori made an obscene thrusting gesture. "The sooner we're back in port making our way through the pillow dens at Ragdoll Randy's!"

"Focus, Gori." Jack said, snapping his fingers, "You know damn well that Fang won't occupy his betters for much longer, and need I remind you what happens next?"

"They come for us."

"And how long do you think it will take for them to conclude that we are here, and come to intercept us?"

Before Gori could answer, the lift stopped and the doors opened. At that moment, Jack got a call from the ship. "Captain, the Tiger of Maribu is here."

Jack hustled out of the way of his man. "Get that aboard and secured at once!"

Gori, anticipating his master's next command, gave it: "All hands, return to the ship. We are leaving! Any man not on board in 10 minutes will be left behind."

"Helm, prepare for takeoff." Jack ordered, "Squadron, get outside and run a combat patrol pattern. I won't be caught by surprise."

Gori looked at Jack, and the pirate captain sighed. "Gori, our team at the retreat is on standby, right?"

"Aye, captain. Shall I give the order?"

"Yes, but make this clear: they must be unspoiled, Gori! I'll unman them bare-handed if they dare disobey! We need them unspoiled!"

Gori gave that order over the coms, using a secure channel. Then he and Jack hurried back aboard Redalen's Revenge with the rest of the away party. As the engines spun up, and the crew ensured that their cargo got locked down, Jack took his seat on the bridge.

"Report!"

"The Tiger of Maribu and Gatewatch opened fire upon the Opulent Dragon. Captain, the Dragon won't last long."

"Nether will we if we don't get going. Lift off as soon as we're able, Helm."

Redalen's Revenge lifted off the prison's dock and backed out slowly, with Jack watching the scene in orbit all the while. Gori kept an eye on the mech squadron on patrol, and all aboard the pirate battleship felt a keen tension. First the Paladin, now Duke Far, and his obstacles keeping them at bay quickly crumbling to dust. The sway team attacking the noblewomen on retreat are the last chance he has to buy time and distance, and he knows it.

"Status on the retreat, Gori?"

"Underway, Captain. They'll report back when they're ready for pickup."

Jack nodded his acknowledgement, but both he and Gori knew not to expect that call. Those men are already dead.

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 19

The Opulent Dragon and the Tiger of Maribu began firing upon each other, and with the former battleship unable to manuever the fight escalated into a merciless slugfest between the ships' main cannons. Meanwhile, both ships sortied their mech squadrons, which immediately rushed to engage each other. Gatewatch joined the fray, launch its mech squadrons and firing upon the Dragon in support of the Maribu.

The relentless pummeling by naval artillery shook the interior more and more severely, making the fighting inside become perilous beyond expectation. Ramsey, Far, and Far's bodyguard cut a bloody swath through Fang's loyal crew as they race for the Flight Deck, arriving just as they see Fang attempt to forcibly board Duke Far's shuttle only to see the pilot and co-pilot resist them.

Far keyed into a comlink. "Pilot! This is your Duke. We are approaching your position. Stand ready for the men and I to board."

"Acknowledged, Your Grace."

With a nod, Far and Ramsey rushed out of cover to attack Fang on the flank. The shuttle kept the traitor pinned down, and that left Fang open. The first few shots fired at the traitor's position cut down several of his men, dropping them to the deck, before Fang and the remainder shifted their position as best they could to cover against both threats. With Fang and Ramsey in the lead, their beam swords blazing, they quickly closed the gap and fell upon Lord Fang two on one- two of the best swordsmen in the galaxy against one cunning criminal nobleman.

Fang knew he couldn't win this encounter. Immediately on the back foot, he tried to disengage again and again, only for one or the other to thwart the gambit. Beyond the duo delivering his doom, he saw the shuttle admit Far's men. A well of resentment and frustration burst forth, unmanning Lord Fang and prompting him to lash out at Duke Far with a wordless howl of rage. Unmoved, Far stepped off Fang's line and struck. The first removed the condemned man's arm. The second removed his head.

Ramsey extinguished his sword. "I'll have Sibley pick me up."

"They'll fight to the last, but none shall survive." Far said, "Once we're both away, let us discuss the matter of Fang's former ally."

"Agreed." Ramsey said, "A temporary parting, Your Grace."

"Yes, Lord Roland." Far said as he shook Ramsey's hand, "Until later then."

Ramsey nodded, and Far took his leave. Boarding the shuttle, Far escaped the Dragon without further incident. A short time later, the Baden-Powell entered and hovered while Ramsey boarded. Once aboard and underway, Ramsey took his place in the pilot's chair and watched on the main screen as the combined fire of Gatewatch and the Tiger of Maribu finished their pummeling of the Opulent Dragon, with a final volley hitting the power plant and provoking a most violent explosion.

"May God have mercy on their souls." Ramsey said as the Baden-Powell approached the Maribu.

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 18

Duke Far, leader of House Far, stood on the bridge of the Opulent Dragon with a dejected Lord Fang kneeling before him while Ramsey stood just behind the disgraced nobleman.

"Your guilt is plain." Far said, "And your confession makes moot any question of evidence. You have betrayed your lord and your God. You know the penalties for treason."

Fang bowed obsequeously, touching his forehead to the floor in the expected manner. "I do."

"Then you know what to do." Far said, and he snapped his fingers. A man of his retinue stepped forward with an ornate box. Fang returned to his kneeling position and looked on, expecting the ritual sword from his quarters, but he couldn't see it- Far stood in the way.

"Lord Roland will guarantee things should you fail this one final task."

"Of course." Fang said, a hint of nerves creeping into his voice.

Fang turned about and threw the expected sword at Fang's feet. Fang's mask of calm fell away as he saw that the sword was a wooden training sword.

"Go on, we're waiting." Far said, sternly. Ramsey saw Far's way of dealing with double-talking tricksters.

"Where's my sword?" Far said, concerned.

"His Grace the Duke saw that your sword had broken, so he sent it away with the rest of your effects." Ramsey said, "I had my page's training sword brought in for this affair due to a lack of viable alternatives."

"It's made of wood!"

"Fang, you know that the truly determined will fall upon a sword of reeds, much less wood of this timber." Far said, and now his face showed that he saw that Fang had truly trapped himself.

Fang sighed, and reluctantly he made the ritual motion to pick up the sword. In that motion, his hands crossed at the wrists, and that motion did not go unnoticed. Fang opened his jacket, as expected, to bear his chest and abdomen and made ready to fall on that wooden sword.

The lights went out as he began that thrust. No sooner did they flicker than Ramsey drew his beam sword and slashed down at Fang, but the blow missed. Far also drew his sword, guessing Fang's move, but struck only the trainer. A hatch in the ceiling popped open, and a third beam sword lit up the room, revealing Fang's location. Yet before the Paladin and the Duke could take Fang two-on-one, the doors opened and Fang's men fired into the bridge forcing them and Far's men to take cover.

Fang ran around his enemies and escaped the bridge, once more leaving them in darkness. "Get the emergency lights on!" Far said.

"You're not getting off my ship as easily as you got on." Fang said over the intercom, "I've sealed and locked out the main bridge, and life support is soon to follow. Cut your way out and you'll be swarmed by my men until you're dead. Stay put and suffocate while you freeze solid. Take your pick, my lords."

Ramsey keyed into his comlink. "Sibley"

"Aye my lord." Sibley said, "I knew he'd pull something like this."

"Cripple the ship." Ramsey said, "Then patch His Grace through to the Marabu."

By now Far had a few of his men cutting down the door with beam swords while the rest stood ready with blaster pistols to face what lay on the other side. They felt, then heard, an explosion before Sibley got back on the line.

"That did it." Sibley said, "And you're patched in, Your Grace."

"Captain, this is the Duke. Prepare to repel boarders."

The Maribu's captain answered. "Yes, Your Grace. Proceeding as planned."

"As planned?" Ramsey said.

"You just turned his battleship into a space station, Lord Roland. Did you expect him to escape by stealing away with his personal mech?"

Ramsey sighed. "I did."

Now more explosions rocked the ship. "Not until his pride is soothed, and that means making you and I look weak and stupid."

The door fell to the floor, and Far's men threw smoke grenades into the hall beyond. Without a word, both noblemen followed the men into the corridor. Now in the lead, they headed for the Flight Deck- and Fang.

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 17

Aboard the Opulent Dragon, Lord Fang looked out from inside the brig at the proxy holding him for his master.

"How long until the Duke arrives?" Fang said.

"Not soon enough." Ramsey said, looking back, "You would be wise to start confessing now."

"Not that it matters." Fang said, head low, "If Dashing Jack sold me out, then he's got to be close to his objective, so it's not likely that you or the Duke could do anything about it now."

Ramsey quietly pressed a key on his gauntlet. "Go on."

"The prison, Paladin. You know it's there."

"It's said to be a colony for the worst sorts, yet for whatever reason cannot be executed."

"True, from a certain point of view. Yet all of the traffic to and from the surface consists of Mining Guild vessels moving ore up and supplies down, or nobles visiting retreats with their entourages. When was the last time you saw anything other than scheduled warden changeovers go to or from that prison?"

In his earpiece Ramsey heard Creton: "I'm on it."

"Christendom is rather large, my lord." Ramsey said, "I do not keep track of every last little installation in the galaxy."

"Christendom didn't build that prison, Lord Roland." Fang said, "It was found here, along with that gate, with Garmil's party. Our forefathers, with the Church, seized it. Back then it wasn't a prison as we know such, but rather a tomb with measures meant to keep its interred host confined there."

"They expanded it into a prison once that condition became clear?"

"Indeed." Fang said, "As for who or what is kept in that place, I had no idea who it was until Dashing Jack approached me with this present plan."

"He told you?"

Fang shook his head. "I felt a shiver of suspicion, as his claim of just wanting to usurp the mining operation for Red Eyes was not reason enough for all of the secrecy and compartmentalization the plan required. It's one thing to keep some stashes nearby to swiftly resupply, or store booty from a raid that you can't take to your home port, but Jack hollowed out an asteroid large enough to wholly dock his flagship within. That's not an idle task."

Ramsey nodded as Creton spoke into his ear from elsewhere: "According to Church archives, only one prisoner is there."

"One of Red Eyes' henchmen sets up a significant base capable of repair and resupply of at least one battleship? Yes, that is a big task, and it means he's been preparing for this for far longer than you my lord. You've been had, taken in by your own corrupt heart."

Now Sibley spoke into Ramsey's ear: "You see Fang's play now, don't you? He'll attempt to run as soon as your back's turned."

"And now you sing a song of deceit and treachery far fouler than your own, seeking a mercy you don't deserve in return for telling tales to pass blame to your co-conspirators."

"His Grace the Duke may not share your conclusion." Fang said, "He has a pragmatic character."

"Indeed." Ramsey said, "He may not, but neither would I expect the pragmatic response to be mercy for someone confessed to treason and worse."

Ramsey read Fang, seeing his eyes glance up to the ceiling for a fraction of a second, and then noticed Fang sitting such that he could easily spring up into action. "Sibley was right as usual." Ramsey thought, "He wants to run, but not like a thief caught with a purse- but as an assassin caught in the attempt."

The speakers for the public address system sounded. "Attention! The Tiger of Maribu has arrived."

"My lord shall receive justice presently." Ramsey said as he turned to leave the brig. As he made his way to meet Duke Far, he smiled and spoke to his subordinates on the Baden-Powell: "I have a plan to turn Fang's escape plan back on him, and I think Duke Far will go along with it."

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 16

Redalen's Revenge descended down into the clouds of Garmil's Gate, swooping with the terrible majesty of a bird of prey, emerging out of the clouds over a vast ocean before it leveled out about a mile above the surface.

"Captain, we're approaching the island prison." the helmsman said.

"Battle stations. All pilots to their mechs." Dashing Jack said, seated in his chair, "We're about to come under fire."

As the pirate pilots scrambled from the ready room to their cockpits, above on the bridge the crew strapped into their seats as the lighting changed over to battle mode. A warning rang out, and Gori looked over at the station reporting it.

"Stand-off missiles, Captain."

"Time to target."

"Two minutes."

"Launch countermeasures. Back-track trajectory, then launch counter-battery barrage."

Redalen's Revenge launched a score of signal-spoofing soft targets to all sides, confusing incoming missiles and driving them off the ship. One by one they reached a dummy target and detonated their proximity-fused warheads, lighting up a dim win-dark sea at twilight with brilliant fireballs. Without a word thereafter, the Revenge's own missiles launched its own stand-off barrage targeting the prison's stand-off batteries.

"Squadron: launch when ready and assume escort position." Jack said. The counter-battery barrage failed to reach their targets, shot down one by one by the prison's own anti-air defenses. Gori watched the barrage's failure, hit a few buttons, and brought it up on the main screen.

"We have enough to initiate the operation." Gori said.

"They will scramble their garrison units now." Jack said, "Continue counter-battery launches until we're within range with the guns, then pummel those batteries to scrap."

"Aye-aye, Captain." Gori said, and on the main screen a window popped up showing the new squadron leader- the man Ramsey allowed to escape.

"We're on station and awaiting orders, Captain."

"Engage the garrison. Clear them out first, and then assist in clearing a hole for the ship to punch through."

"Will you come out to play with us, Captain?"

"Not this time." Jack said, "So don't save anything for me."

"Acknowledged. Over and out." the leader said, and the window winked out. Gori walked over to Jack and bent towards his master's ear.

"A test?"

"At best."

Gori nodded. "One way or another, we'll make use of the Paladin's mercy."

Jack smiled. "Exactly. He acquits himself and proves his worth, does too well and exposes himself, or doesn't do well enough and disposes of himself- all of which I accept as useful outcomes."

The Revenge's squadron surged forth to intercept the incoming garrison units. Missiles flew back-and-forth around them, as big or bigger than their mecha, exploding in varying degrees of proximity. Then the two squadrons got into firing range and their formations broke up quickly into a furball of dogfighting.

On the bridge, the main screen showed the ship's guns to be within range. Jack smiled: "Fire!"

The turrets forward the bridge turned in unison towards the prison. They glowed their coruscating crimson color and then exploded outward into lethal lances of light and fire. Those brilliant beams blew through the twilight skies and beat upon their targets, first hitting as balled fists of angry angels, then melting holes through their thick armor carapace, before they erupted in exploding fireballs spewing death and dismemberment to all within sight.

"Again!" Jack yelled, and a second volley followed the first to the same success.

Meanwhile, Jack's squadron of subordinates successfully suppressed the garrison squadron. Those now fleeing fell to a combination of pursuing fire and getting caught in the explosions of the stand-off batteries, completing the assumption of air supremacy for Dashing Jack. The remaining reavers fell upon the anti-air batteries, losing a few over-zealous pirate pilots in the process, but those remaining guided their mothership in through the hole in the defenses now present.

"Target the main gate. Squadron retreat and await further orders." Jack said, and his men dutifully flew off as the Revenge now took aim at the prison's massive main gate.

"Batter that door down." Jack said, "Don't let the garrison rally."

The ship's main guns fired and fire and fired, hammering the gate without mercy for minutes, until it gave and caved.

"Go in and clear out the docks." Jack said, and his squadron did as commanded. The slaughter therein was swift and short, over well before the Revenge came to rest in the prison's docking bay. As the ship came to rest, and Jack made his way to the outside, his reavers rummaged through the facilities for plunder and other treasures- but found little.

"We've got control, Captain." Gori said as the two walked out to the dock, "And Gatewatch doesn't seem the wiser."

"That's because the garrison wasn't meant to keep people like us out. It was meant to keep its prisoner in."

The two accepted a boost from a waiting mech, which lifted them directly to the control room. As they climbed through the shattered window, Jack saw the mainframe terminal and accessed it. Moments later, he smiled.

"Captain, I take it you found what you came for."

"Indeed, Gori. Red Eyes will be pleased." Jack said, and he looked at a camera feed of the sole prisoner cell: a man of improbable beauty, with a label--a name, presumably--in an ancient tongue.

"Who is that?"

"That is what Red Eyes wants from this wretched backwater, Gori. Behold, the one who began all of this long ago: Azazel."

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 15

"Take us out."

With those words, Dashing Jack left his asteroid hideout. He stood on the bridge of his flagship, Redalen's Revenge, with Gori beside him.

"By now Duke Far should have received and confirmed the information provided." Gori said, "Our spies report that Lord Fang is under arrest, and that our Paladin friend is the one holding him at sword-point."

"Excellent." Jack said, "Lord Fang's pride will not allow him to submit, so his reason will surely fail him in his desperate rush to soothe his pride, and when that happens whatever measures he's put in place to guarantee his survival shall surely fail him- but not before causing a mess so massive that it can't be ignored."

"Or resolved quickly." Gori said, and he laughed.

"Correct." Jack said, "But we cannot waste the time we just bought by betraying him. We need to get to the tomb, recover our prize, and escape with him before the Paladin clears the mess we've thrown at him."

"How long do you think we have?" Gori said, "We can't have more than a day, at most."

The Revenge cleared the asteroid and turned towards Garmil's Gate.

"Captain," a crewman said, "we're clear and ready to launch. Orders, sir?"

"Spin up the drive. Helm, take us as close to the tomb as we can get. Once we arrive, rig for silent running."

"A micro-jump?" Gori said."

"Not to worry. I had the calculations done while we were here awaiting the rest of the plan to unfold." Jack said, "With our enemies occupied, so long as we avoid attracting attention we can steal in and out without them being the wiser. If that isn't sufficient, then I've prepared one more trump card. After reading that file, it will prove more useful than I expected."

"The noblewomen on retreat?"

"Indeed." Jack said, "If it becomes necessary, we seize them and use them as shields to cover our retreat. Once we're away, we can ransom them to defray our costs, or trade them for other favors we may need later. For all we know, Red Eyes might be looking for a wife."

The entire bridge erupted in laughter.

"Captain, the jump drive is ready." a crewman said, and Jack smiled.

"Jump!"

In a flash, Redalen's Revenge winked out from before the asteroid base. It passed briefly through a spiraling blue-white tunnel, and then emerged at Garmil's Gate- on the far side from Gatewatch, and just outside its gravity well. Dashing Jack stood still a moment to await word of anything going wrong.

"All stations report no issues, Captain." Gori said.

"To the tomb." Jack said, "Let us finish what our predecessors began."

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 14

Aboard the Opulant Dragon, Lord Fang lay fast asleep in his luxurious quarters alongside one of his personal attendants--his euphemism of choice--unaware of the disaster unfolding in the space below, when an alert sounded loud enough to force the sleeping lord back to waking life. This angered Lord Fang, who rubbed the sleep from his eyes and slapped the comlink.

"Bridge, there had better be an enemy assault in progress."

"My lord," the watch officer said, "you need to answer a message from Duke Far. Now."

Lord Fang waived the lights on, dim, and sat at his office char. "Replay message."

A stern-faced, unhappy Duke Far appeared on the screen. "Fang, I've come into possession of documents indicating that you've been in league with the Red Eyes Pirates. Specifically, that you've supplied them with mecha from our own stores. That you've used the fake attacks to kill rivals, eliminate leaks, and weaken our defenses by assassinating key officials in our network. In short, you've got a lot of accusations to answer for, and not a lot of time before I arrive to board your ship and take you into custody. Don't even think of running; I've asked for the Paladin on station to apprehend you in my name, and His Holiness the Pope has agreed."

Lord Fang felt a primordial fear race up his spine.

"If you wish to take full responsibility, then I await hearing of your successful apology--along with your corpse lying in state--when I arrive. Far over and out."

Another image broke in, this one live: "This is Lord Roland of the Solar Guard, acting on behalf of Duke Far. Lord Fang, you are commanded to heave to and be boarded. I place you under arrest under the charges of high treason, apostasy, and piracy."

"Orders, my lord?" the watch officer said.

"Hold position, bridge. I'm on my way." Lord Fang said as he threw on a shirt and tucked his beam sword into his waistband. He walked briskly from his quarters to the bridge, racing through his mind to figure out how this happened, but a review of his own records showed that he covered his tracks properly- it wasn't his fault. He dismissed Sir Kei and Sir Pei out of hand; they lacked access as well as ambition, so they weren't responsible either. Master Iser died, so he could have released it as a deadman's switch measure, but Fang felt that unlikely.

"I'm get that double-talker for this." Fang thought as he rode the lift to the bridge, "Damn you, Dashing Jack."

Fang arrived on the bridge. Everyone saluted him, as usual, and Fang took the captain's chair. "Status."

"Gatewatch refuses to mobilize, and Lord Roland's ship has maneuvered itself right next to our primary thrusters. Her guns can't miss at that range."

"And that means we are dead in space." Fang said, "Clever man, that Paladin."

"Orders, my lord?"

Fang quickly ran the numbers. "Let the Paladin aboard." he said, "We can handle one man."

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 12

The men in the Oni-class mecha laughed until their sensors blared a warning of an enemy unit suddenly appearing below. The laughter stopped, and one of them moved his unit to the edge to look down. He gasped, and he ran back from the ledge. Before the others could ask what he saw, they beheld the same sight.

Durandal, with its cockpit hatch open, rose out of the mile-deep pit. Standing in the open hatchway, arms folded under his chest and feet spread apart, stood Sir Ramsey. His face wore a mask of terrible resolve, and his eyes fixed upon them as if he could see into their wretched souls.

"This is Durandal, the Sword of Roland." Ramsey said, "I've seen what you can do with your mecha. Now you shall see what I can do with mine."

Ramsey stepped back into the cockpit and closed the hatch. The eyes on the unit's head flared as if awakening, and the four men in the Oni units felt a primal fear arise in them and fix them firmly. All they could do was watch as the gleaming silver-steel came out of the pit and landed before them.

"Come at me, curs!" Ramsay commanded, "Come at me if you want to live."

"Attack!" the man in the royal blue unit said, and the four of them rushed Ramsey with beam swords ignited. But they came at Ramsey in a panic, fear driving them to desperation and away from reason or control, and so they came at him in a manner that Ramsey readily exploited. He met the lead man, caught the man's attack with his free hand, and ran the man's unit in half at the waist. He kicked the first man at the second just before the first's unit exploded, severely damaging the second and blowing him to the ground. This let Ramsey turn about and block the third's attack, which he them slipped down the man's blade and severed the third man's sword arm off.

Ramsey turned to the blue unit. "I will leave you for last."

Ramsey then turned his beam sword into a reverse grip. As the third unit picked up the severed arm to use as a club, Ramsey took a step and stabbed that unit through-and-through the chest. As it fell over and exploded, Ramsey stalked towards the blue unit.

"Stay back!" the man said as he took up his best defensive stance, "I'm warning you!"

Ramsey beat away the beam sword. "Or what?

The man did not reply, so Ramsey held his sword at the unit's hatch. "Get out."

The man complied. He emerged from the blue unit with his hands up. "On the ground. Now."

As the man got down on the ground, on his knees, hands behind his head the Baden-Powell approached. It fired on the one remaining grey unit as it attempted to pull a sneak attack on Ramsey, destroying it.

"Typical!" Sibley said, "You left just one, and that one half-eaten."

"We have a prize, Sibley. Send down the lad to collect it. We may need it later. Send him down when you come to collect this man."

"Aye, Sir Ramsey." Sibley said, "So what now?"

Ramsey looked into the captive's eyes. "Verification."

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 09

Sir Ramsey began a countdown in a corner of his helmet's viewscreen, letting him track the estimated arrival of the enemy as he went about preparing the courtyard for another battle. He pushed wrecked mecha and other vehicles into the breech of the outer wall, prepared traps using loose ordinance, and set up killzones where the enemy's numbers wouldn't benefit them. Once ready, with some minutes to spare, Ramsey got to the compound's media center and put himself on the comms.

He first opened a channel to directly connect to Solar Guard Headquarters on Earth.

"Priority Transmission to Palatine Hill from Garmil's Gate. Authorization: Sir Ramsey Hennipen, Seat of Roland."

The screen read back "Access Granted".

"Inform Court of Stars. Insurrection in progress. Lord Fang and Mining Master Iser in league with Red Eyes pirates. Iser slain. Lord Fang's location unknown. Gatewatch status unknown. Situation is in hand. Recommend Lord Fang's liege intervene."

The screen read back: "Cast in the name of God. Ye Not Guilty."

"Acknowledged. Sir Ramsey, over and out."

Then Sir Ramsey got on the channel used by the rebelling workers.

"This is Sir Ramsey Hennepin, Paladin of the Solar Guard. I hold the High Justice. Those that surrender shall receive mercy. Those that resist shall die condemned of heresy and treason."

Ramsey saw Dashing Jack's face appear before him. "If, Paladin. If you can enforce it. You are still just one man."

"I an not just one man, villain. I am never just one man. Observe--I know you are--and you shall see this first hand before you go to Hell."

"Indeed. Entertain me, Papal Puppet. Dance! Dance for my amusement."

The sounds of artillery fire blowing apart the improvised barricade prompted Ramsey to cut the comms. The timer ran out; and the enemy arrived right on time. As Ramsey ran to his first position, he saw in another window on his viewscreen a perspective from one of the working security cameras of rebel mecha and infantry rushing into the courtyard. He saw them stop after the first bomb exploded and took out the leading infantry platoon as well as the armed worker mecha they escorted.

By the time he got into position, the enemy cleared away their wrecked unit and swept clear what remained of the infantry. He put up a shoulder-fired missile launcher, took aim, and launched at the foremost unit. He didn't wait to see if he hit; he immediately tossed the launcher and ran back under cover. The return fire tore apart his former position while the impact on the leading unit stymied any attempt to track him long enough to thwart it.

"I can't move!" the unit's pilot said, confirmng Ramsey's hope of a mobility kill. As he got into his second position, where another launcher awaited him, he heard the order from the rebel commander: "Reduce the upper floors and force him to the ground." Ramsey smiled; someone there wasn't a complete moron. He fired his second missile, again running back under cover, and this time switching down to the ground floor. The enemy mecha fired upon the compound's buildings, leveling their upper floors, before sending infantry into the now-reduced remains aiming to force Ramsey into the open.

But this meant going into close quarters, where Ramsey again held the advantage, and he ambushed the first squad he found with beam sword and blaster. He erupted from a side room into a hallway, appearing in the middle of their single-file formation, cutting down one man while shooting a second in the chest with a double-tap technique. Caught unawares, they attempted to respond.

"You're not fast enough!" he declared as he cut and shot them down in their confusion.

Soon he flushed them out of the buildings and back into the courtyard, quivering in fear. Their leader emerged from on of the armed workers, and he shot one of them to get their attention.

"One! Man!"

Ramsey strode into view, standing in the doorway of what was the compound's main building- formerly Master Iser's headquarters. He took aim at the rebel commander with his blaster.

"Paladin!" Ramsey said, and shot the commander dead with a clean hit to the man's forehead.

The infantry broke and ran, fleeing before the golden-armored knight, only to to stop before the sight of a giant-sized man-like robot.

"Go on!" its pilot said, "We've got this."

Sir Ramsey let the rabble flee. Instead, he took notice of the mecha now arriving. These were the House Fang units, repainted black with red accents and red eyes. His viewscreen identified them as basic Oni-class models, though they had to have undergone some modification by now.

"Come out, Paladin. Let's see you fight against us."

"Don't be so hasty." Ramsey said as he took in the full view of the enemy mecha--both the new arrivals and the armed workers remaining--before him, "I will not deny your request, or to hear your regrets for making it."

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 08

Master Iser and Sir Ramsey clashed their beam swords together, crossing red-on-gold with sparks and discord.

"How does it feel, Master Iser? To get so far in your schemes, only to have someone come along who can tear it apart inside a day?"

Iser broke the clench and made a cut at Ramsey, which the Paladin easily blocked. "I wouldn't know. I've not had a scheme fail so far."

"You think you can turn this around?" Ramsay said as he hammered at Iser's guard, knocking the traitor off-balance and flailing to stay on his feet, "You have no idea how many times I've been in this exact situation, Iser."

"Oh," Iser said with a mocking gesture, "do tell."

"Fool!" Ramsay smashed aside Iser's blade. "I am 30 years old, and a Paladin of the Solar Guard. What does that tell you?"

"That you had friends shower you with prestige?"

Ramsey cut Iser's hands off, and then cut his beam sword in half. "Try again."

Iser stood there, looking at the cauterized stumps where his hands used to be. Ramsey didn't need to see Iser's face to know his mind at that moment.

"There, Iser, is your answer. When you reach Hell, go look up the other villains I'd sent there previously. They'll tell you just how wrong you were."

Ramsey's tone brought Iser back to the moment. "What do you mean, 'were'? Are you arresting me?"

"By right as Paladin of the Solar Guard, and confirmed by the Court of Stars, I hold the High Justice. You are condemned, Master Iser, for treason and heresy."

"Condemned? What idiocy is this?"

Ramsey shut off his blade, turned his back, and walked away. "You are already dead."

Iser, beneath his crimson helm, looked on astonished. "What?"

"Sibley." Ramsey said, ignoring the man, "What's the situation?"

"You can't be serious!" Iser said, disbelieving, when he attempted to step forward. His legs did not move, but his torso did and fell forward off his waist and hit the floor. The clang and thump of the now-lifeless corpse of the traitor Master Iser didn't so much as get Ramsey to look over his shoulder.

"The courtyard is clear of hostiles, Sir Ramsey, but heavier mecha and the main forces are on their way here from the elevator. They have it under their control."

"Nothing from Gatewatch?"

"Not a word. Something's wrong."

"The usual something, Sibley. Go with Creton and handle the elevator. I'll deal with the main force."

"They've got proper military-grade mecha in the main force along with more of their modified workers. You'll need more than your sword and blasters."

Ramsey reached into a boot sleeve and retrieved the baton that Creton gave to him previously. "Your boy made certain that I'd be ready for that scenario. Go on now. I'll be fine."

As Sir Ramsey made his way out from the hole in the wall and down into the courtyard, he saw in his faceplate a viewscreen from the perspective of the Baden-Powell: a squadron of mecha, backed by a company of rebelling workers on foot, rapidly converged on his location. Four of them seemed to be proper military models, resembling those stolen from a mothball facility run by House Fang several months ago.

"I see." Sir Ramsey said, "The matter is clear to me now. This treachery ends, here and now."

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 07

The dozen red-armored men formed a circle about the gold-armored Sir Ramsey and Sibley. Standing back-to-back, the duo denied their enemies an easy opening. Iser stood just outside the circle, waiting for his men to do his will for him, turning now and again to look outside when something exploded.

"A good response, Paladin." Iser said, "But even your skills are hard-pressed to overcome superior numbers, especially when they hold a superior position. Once my men secure your ship, even that will not avail you."

"Did you hear that, Sibley? They haven't secured our ship yet."

Sibley laughed. "Well, that settles this now, doesn't it?"

* * * * *

Creton ran through the takeoff sequence, recognizing what was certain to come next. Following long-drilled instructions, he spun up the Baden-Powell's engines. As he did so, markers appeared on the viewscreen revealing the locations of his father and Sir Ramsey, followed by an update describing the rioters as hostiles as well as Master Iser and his guards.

"It's a trap! Just like Father said it would be." Creton said as he spun up the guns and lifted the ship off the landing pad.

Three of the armed worker mecha sped up the ramp to the landing pad. "Attention ship! If you resist you will be shot down. Give up and prepare to be boarded." they declared over their speakers, and one of them fired a warning shot to show they meant it.

Creton rolled the ship on its horizontal axis to bring the turret to bear, and then he returned fire. The lead mecha exploded with a single hit, and then Creton fired on the second one behind it. It too exploded when hit, its skin offering no resistance to cannon fire of the sort that a proper military vessel could wield. The third unleashed all of its remaining rockets upon the ship, but did nothing of consequence: the shields held.

"Call up the heavy guns!" the pilot said as the turret's guns fired upon him, "The cannons and rockets do nothing!"

The pilot heard no reply because he died the instant after he cried for aid, his mecha blown apart by the volley of cannon fire, and then the ship rose in the air to bring its guns to bear on the battle below. During this window of opportunity, Creton took a moment to fire upon the location where his father and master stood before returning to the mecha below vainly trying to shoot the Baden-Powell out of the air.

* * * * *

The men probed and jabbed at each other, trying to provoke an opening, but neither the two nor the dozen would drop their guard. The many red-clad men seemed sluggish, or skittish, in their attacks as if intimidated. The few gold-clad warriors soon saw that they held an advantage.

"You lot know that you can't take us." Sir Ramsey said, "If you thought you did, we'd already be dead."

"Aye!" Sibley said, "You're all as good as dead if you don't surrender now."

"And how do you expect to leave this room alive?" Iser said.

Sir Ramsey glanced outside and saw the Baden-Powell's guns turn their way. "This!"

The first blast shocked the red-armored enemies, and that's when Sir Ramsey and Sibley pounced. In a split second, they cut down three men each without so much as a cry out in pain from the slain. In the moment after that, the two gold-armored warriors thrashed through the weakened guards of the other three enemies each faced, pushing them back to the edges of the room and smashing through those guards to hack them down in turn.

Two more blasts blew open a hole in the wall and exposed the room to the elements outside. Now Sir Ramsey and Sibley stood against Iser alone. "Are you satisfied with my answer, Master Iser?" Sir Ramsay said.

Iser went on his guard. "I underestimated you, Paladin."

"Go on Sibley. I have this." Sir Ramsey said, "Put down this revolt."

"Aye, Sir Ramsey!" Sibley said and he leaped out the hole in the wall to the ship waiting just outside. As he entered through a hatch, Sir Ramsey and Iser crossed swords.

"You can't respond fast enough to turn this around." Iser said, "Even with your experience, you haven't the means."

"I've heard that before, Iser."

Crisis at Garmil's Gate - 03

At the outer edge of the Garmil's Gate solar system, the Red Eyes pirate band led by Dashing Jack hid in their hidden base- a hollowed-out asteroid. Merciless men, and worse, scurried about the interior running arms into the ship berthed therein while the ship's compliment of mecha got repaired and rearmed. In the base's headquarters, Red Eyes and his lieutenant Gori stood before their master, who called upon them from elsewhere.

"The arrival of the Solar Guardsman made our raid unprofitable, my lord." Dashing Jack said, "So I ordered a retreat before we lost too much."

"But you did accomplish your mission?" Red Eyes said, his vicious visage filled the viewscreen.

Jack bowed, as did Gori. "Yes, my lord. We found the location of the tomb, and we dropped our shipment to our allies on the surface. The Paladin's arrival only disrupted the attempt to take the bulk freighters."

"And what word does our man inside Gatewatch have on the opposition?"

Gori held up a notepad and read from it. "The Paladin met with the Fang commander. They discussed the current points of conflict, but he could not discover what the Paladin's plan of action was. He is certain to leave the station and go planetside within 24 hours, but where on the surface is unknown."

"My lord, I think we should move now. That Paladin has a reputation for trouble-shooting. I don't think we have long before he begins to dismantle our operations here."

Red Eyes looked off screen, as someone leaned in to whisper into his ear. He nodded, then looked again at Jack. "Do you require reinforcements?"

"No. I've already arranged for a complication of my own."

"Oh?"

* * * * *

"Sir Kei, Lord Fang's flagship has arrived."

The Opulent Dragon dropped out of hyperspace on approach to Gatewatch. At a quarter-mile in length, and almost half that across, this battleship was not only the flagship of House Fang's fleet but also the mobile home of the house's master- and Sir Kei's father. Escorting this battleship was a symbolic handful of cruisers and destroyers, as Lord Fang feared no attack within his territory.

The vessels drew up alongside Gatewatch, and a shuttle left the Dragon for the station. At the landing bay inside, Sir Kei stood ready with an honor guard to receive his father and master. The ramp came down, and a middle-aged man wearing his disgust like a mask descended from the craft flanked by his own honor guard and attendants.

"Welcome back to Gatewatch, father. This visit is on short notice."

Lord Fang answered his son with the back of his hand across his son's face. "You know why I am here. Where is the Paladin?"

Sir Kei stood there, stoic and unmoving. "He departed for the surface a few hours ago, father."

"To where?"

"He did not say. All I know is that he had leave by the Guild to land at the mine."

"Fool! Recall him, immediately!"

"I cannot. He comes under the authority of the Speaker of the Court of Stars as well as His Holiness the Pope. Neither you nor I have the authority to constrain his actions. You know well what that means, father."

The mask of disgust warped into one of frustration and rage as Lord Fang walked out of the bay. "You fool. You cannot do anything right."

Making the Setting: The Villains of the Piece (Part Three)

When setting up a meta-narrative, there's care that needs to be done upfront well before a reader sees your first release. The mastermind's chief lieutenants must, at first look, appear to be wholly independent and autonomous actors pursuing their own agenda of villainy. Only those taking a galactic perspective at how these schemes' effects interact, and at first that's not your reader; for all intents and purposes, those first few releases are stand-alone works with--at most--themes and motifs shared across them.

Your mastermind sorts aren't that varied. They split between Threat Without and Threat Within, or Warlord vs. Courtier. The rest is all shading on those differences, accounting for specifics of individual villain and their environment, and the better ones can mask one as the other as necessity dictates.

So let's talk masterminds.

Our first Warlord is a charismatic Genghis Khan type, originally from one of the barbarian worlds outside civilized space. He's a giant of a man, and may well be a Nephalim descendent: Red Eyes the Pirate King. He leads a star-faring horde that preys upon civilian shipping throughout the rimward arm of the galactic west, including brazen raids and invasions of worlds believed too tough for such a man to crack. His brilliance comes from his deceptive demeanor, hiding a keen intellect capable of warfighting on a scope and scale that many think to be only for a formal navy.

The catch is that he does run a formal navy. It's not one that civilized space recognizes, but it is formal nonetheless. Most of the core crew comes from Red Eyes' homeworld and related colonies, where severe population pressures push the majority of young men into a berth on a ship in Red's fleet. They seek wealth and women, as they are denied both at home; rampant polygyny means that high-status men take most of the desirable womenfolk for themselves.

Red's reason to bend the knee to his mysterious master, a terrifying figure he knows only as "The Master", is due to the promise by The Master to swing wide the gates into civilized space and allow him and his men all the wealth and women they can carry off- and let them lay waste to all that resist their will.

Our first Courtier is a struggling idealist, leader of a reform movement within the Court of Stars that calls itself "The Speakers for the Obliged" and style themselves advocates for the common man throughout the galaxy. He is young, popular, and charismatic- but as the younger son of a Baron, Lord Gallford has no serious political capital and no prospects for gaining so legitimately.

He bent the knee due to promises of reform of the galactic structure to better ensure that the nobility acts in service to the commonfolk on their lands, and his master now poisons him towards greater acts of covert defiance using honeyed words well-curated to distort the lord's perception of history. "1917 was not a mistake, but a warning" is now a catchprhase of his- as is his increasing willingness to use disposable minions in deniable ways to remove opposition.

You can see how important the key villains are even if they don't appear front-and-center in the narrative at-hand. Their presence will be felt, and must be felt to have the desired effect upon the reader. But villains need henchmen and minions, and more on that next week.

Space Opera Week: The Call Rings Forth Again

The old man heard the rapid footsteps of someone running his way. He put down the tools, got up from his workbench, and walked to the door, meeting the runner at the doorway. It was a boy, about 14 years of age, and his face told the old man enough to skip all of the usual questions.

"What trouble is it this time?" the old man, leading the boy inside and sitting him down.

The boy took a moment to gather himself. "A girl."

The old man took a pair of bottles out of a small refrigerator. Handing one to the boy, he said "That's not unexpected at your age. Slow down, have a drink, and start at the beginning."

The boy took the bottle, popped off the top, and took a big swig. "Dad told me to head into town to pick up some power converters, so I did. I was about to head back to the house when I saw this girl burst into the market square. She had some guys after her, a lot of them. She looked rich, really rich, which is why I thought the guys were after her. Given that they weren't shooting at her, I figured they wanted her alive."

"Rich girl, running from thugs, through the center of town." the old man said, sitting down, "So, what did you do?"

The boy perked up, smiling. "I cut between her and them, knocking a bunch of them down with the car, and told her to get in. Then I floored it out of there."

"Car chase?"

"And how!" the boy said, "They came after us in three cars, and a fourth in a supercar soon joined. Then we had the cops after us."

The old man observed the lack of a rich girl, or a car. "So, what happened?"

"I took them into Beggar's Canyon, and I forced the three cars to wreck despite them shooting at us. The fourth car had guns mount on it, and I didn't expect that. He was good, real good, and he got us when I tried that hairpin turn you told me about. We wrecked, and that's when we got separated."

"Your father's going to be mad about this."

The boy sighed. "I know, but if he only saw her face he'd understand."

"So you came to me first." the old man said, with a chuckle, "Did you get the girl's name?"

The boy nodded. "Better, I got her picture too." He pulled out a palm-sized holoviewer, and he produced the bust of the girl in question: long red hair, about shoulder-length, eyes blue like purest water, and skin like smooth marble. The old man stood there, remembering another like this from long ago, and then blinked himself back to the moment.

"Her name."

"Nadia." the boy said, "She said she's a princess from off-world."

The old man nodded along. "Okay, now what?"

"The last thing she said before we got separated was that if I could find someone called 'The Rose Knight', tell him to look for a golden yacht in the starport district."

The old man went to his safe, opened it, and retrieved an old photo of an armored man and a girl much like the boy's princess.

"You found him." the old man said, "Drink up, we've got princesses to save."

The Lost Adventures of the Pulps: The Flying Ace

Over at the main blog, I've spent some posts this past week talking about action in tabletop RPGs and why Lucasfilm is in a position to successfully revive the Ace Pilot iconic figure and his equally iconic form of action-adventure. I say "successfully", because there was a failed attempt since the turn of the millenium to do so in the West: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

Sure, I liked this film, but I'm not going to sit here and bullshit you that this film was actually good. It wasn't, and the trailer here was somewhat deceptive as to what the final film's story was about. As is so common with failed pulp revivals, this was an example of a man whose love for the genre overroad his good sense, becoming hubris in the process. That is why he attempted something far beyond his capabilities, turning what could've been another Raiders of the Lost Ark into another Conan the Destroyer.

So, let's take a look at this archetypical character and his typical adventures:

• The Flying Ace is a man in his physical prime, often right at the confluence of youthful exuberance and age-worn experience. Variations on this character often rely on altering the character's age to adjust that balance of influences. For you younger folks, Poe Dameron of The Force Awakens is so typical of the archetype as to be iconic in its expression.
  
• Like his ground-bound counterparts (racers and riders), he's got a competitive streak and a certain penchant for mischief- even as an older, more sober-minded man. This is often the basis for his considerable charisma, as his repeated practice of his core habits and skills instills a mindset of competency in adversity born of seeking and overcoming challenges that test him. He is, very much, an Alpha Male sort of character- and often finds himself in positions of leadership, becoming more formal and important as he ages. (e.g. Roy Fokker of Macross fame)
  
• His adventures feature the display of his skills as a pilot, both in the coming and going to the sites of his adventures, but often in the formulation of the conflicts as well as their development and resolution. While he is capable on his feet (and often is quite capable of two-fisted action, good with his sidearms, or both), he's routinely deficient in highly-specialized skills or fields of knowledge that fall outside his core competencies- he's a Man of Action first and foremost, like James Bond.
  
• He routinely encounters his opposite number in his adventures, either a literal recurring nemesis or simply an enemy ace pilot. If this antagonist is not the chief antagonist, then he will be one of the major lieutenants to that mastermind and his decisive defeat is often the signal that the climax of the adventure just hit. (Otherwise, it's that of the mastermind directly.)
  
• His adventures often involve McGuffin hunts, which drive the plot; this is not a mystery subtype, as the Flying Ace is not a detective. This is often a way to integrate the Ace into an ensemble cast where he operates as an equal on a team instead of a master or subordinate in a (para)military unit. Attacking enemy bases, or defending their own, is a regular part of his adventures; the former as part of the final act, and the former as the initial act if not the inciting incident.
  
• Because he's an ace, even if he's using a known real aircraft his specific plane is an "ace custom" model tailored to his specific qualities in order to maximize performance- a real-life trope turned genre fiction trope that carried over to newer forms, such as Mobile Suit Gundam and the many Ace Custom models used by Char Aznable. His counterparts will often also have their own customs; these will routinely be visually as well as technically striking and impressive.
  

If you want to go digging through the pulps, the serials, and old TV series then do so and learn directly from them. If you want something far easier, then you want to look east to Based Japan, where Flying Ace stories remain regular attractions for well into the present day, and they've done both deconstructions as well as reconstructions of the archetype and adventures over the years so the experiences are varied. Yet the core elements remain, especially in the more popular offerings (popular often for playing it straight). Time to bring this back, because it's a short step from the Wonder of Flight to the Wonder of Spaceflight, and that fundamental innocence--the joy of flight--is something we're going to need going forward.

And I'm tuning my engines.

Story Fragment: The Resolution of the Yamato

This got cut from the revision of the Solador story because it is not directly relevant to the protagonist's story; this is something that the deuteragonist does to aide the protagonist in the climax of the story. Rather than let it rot, as it were, I'm going to post it here. The scene's intention was to demonstrate that the deuteragonist's organization--the Hidden City--has at its disposal more than just some well-trained agents and access to a pre-Cataclysm network infrastructure. However, without a series to build this out it becomes irrelevant to the story.

"Master Control, this is Agent Johnathan. I am at the resolution zone."

In his ear, John heard Master Control respond: "This is Master Control. We see you. Proceed."

John activated his holographic overlay, allowing him to see where to-be-resolved objects could be readily placed. His eyes quickly scanned for, and found, the Gate icon and placed it partially submerged into the waters of the Sound. With a gesture, he initiated the resolution protocol for the gate.

A flash flicked before him and spread out into a wireframe outline of a circular design. Two-thirds of its diameter stood out of the water, dwarfing John who stood well away from it with his eyes fixed forward and his body stiff as he concentrated on each element of the resolution protocol in turn. First the skeletal frame, and then key power components and conduits. Sinks, inputs, outputs, all drawn in step by step as if he coded it in a design program. Finally, the outer shell and its finish. Then back again, layer by layer, he make the framework solid and materialized each part into existence.

The glowing, pulsing, floating man-sized (and think) crystals on either side of the gate now linked up to it and brought it full to life with a loud pop and enough light to be a beacon to craft far out over the waters. With that, John dropped to his knees, exhausted: "Resolution. Complete.

"Stand by, Agent Johnathan. We're sending it through now."

John looked up, breathing deep as he got to his feet. He saw the gate light up, and a whoosh of air come forth as the gate's interior became a wall of white light. He heard the hum of such great energy being poured into the gate- something big now resolved into the Outer World. As he saw the bow of a ship, come forth, and then the first three-gun turret, and then the second, and then secondary turrets, and then the control tower, and a third three-gun turret on the stern, and the aft come crashing through as if exiting a dry dock he knew what he beheld.

"The Yamato!" John said in a gasp.

"Agent Johnathan, this is Master Control. Your request is granted. Good luck, and good hunting."

Note: this is not the I.J.N. Yamato of World War 2. This is the entirely fictional Yamato of Space Battleship Yamato. So those turrets have Shock Cannons, there is a fighter wing aboard, it can fly, and you're damn right that the Wave Motion Gun is on that thing. Why does John put in a request for it? Because the protagonist--William--is going up against The Archmage and the Exalted directly, and John alone is not enough to even the odds, so John calls in backup. The entire point of this ship's appearance is to force the opposition to have to split their attention and thus their forces.

So, rather than go on about it--since the story follows William and not John--I find a good reason to keep cut-aways from William to just those few that are nonetheless about William's story directly. This? This is not; it's there for a meta-narrative, and therefore can be cut here to maintain narrative focus.

As for what the Yamato is there to do, it's something like this episode from the recent 2199 remake (which is really good and you should see it):