[The Gunslingers, Book II, Chapter 22] [Feathers] "I don't think they plan on surrendering," said Garth. "Maybe Jack could get us a little closer so we can hear what they are saying?" said Toran. "Ha ha, very funny, it isn't that bad," replied Jack. "Umm... if you would have dropped us any closer I could pour that Kitsune Commander a cup of coffee," said Garth. "Or I could throw a coconut at him," said Ben. The boys all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Ben and roared in laughter. The laughter relieved a bit of the stress and even Colt managed to laugh at Ben's attempt to fit in with the stress relieving banter. "Did I say something wrong?" asked Ben. "No, it was perfect," said Garth. Colt turned his attention back to the Vid-screen and glared at the arrogant Kitsune Commander on the Bridge of the Battle Commander. The Carrier Commander hadn't even deemed Colt worthy enough to speak to, or even bother closing the armor blast doors that should have been shut over the fifty-foot view port that wrapped around the Carrier Bridge; especially with an enemy Battleship sitting thirty-feet away; The Kitsune were just too arrogant. "Commander, I will give you two more minutes and then I'm destroying your Battle Carrier," said Colt. "End Transmission." "Boss, how are we going to do that?" asked Jack. "Their outer missile doors are open, but they don't fire—why?" asked Colt. "Arrogance," said Garth. "They are waiting for us to open our outer doors so they can say it was a fair fight." "I don't plan on fighting fair," said Colt. "Jack, how do I fire the missiles without opening the outer doors?" "Telepathy?" Jack offered an answer. "You're thinking of telekinynasus," said Garth. "You are both idiots," said Toran. "You're thinking of telepairing." Colt rubbed his forehead, "You are all idiots, the word is teleouting." "I don't think that's even a word," said Jack. "Yea, well it's probably more of a word than telepairing," said Colt. "Hey guys," said Ben. "Ben, I know you want to help, but you aren't ready yet, there's just too much you don't understand," said Colt tersely. Ben ignored the jab at his ignorance of the outside world—he also didn't bother to mention that he was the one that captured the ship while the others were tied up in a cage. "You have to get one of those missiles outside without opening a door, right?" Ben walked over to the starboard port-window. "Yes, Ben," said Colt. "Don't worry, we will figure something out." "Those missiles are outside," said Ben pointing at the ancient Needle ship attached to the outside of the Battleship. Jack smacked his own forehead and grinned sheepishly at Colt, "There's a Needle ship on both sides," said Jack. “The Needle ships have two missiles attached under each wing.” Colt and the others looked at each other and shrugged and Garth laughed, "That's my little brother—saves us again," said Garth. "Good job, Ben," said Colt. "Jack, can you remote fire the missiles on the Needle ships?" "I don't know, Boss," said Jack. "We don't do Battleship training until our fourth year, if we hadn't already been in space when we got here, I don't think I could have launched this thing." "You flew us here," said Colt. "I pointed and pressed the go button, Boss," said Jack. "That's a big difference than flying." "Ideas?" asked Colt. "There's an umbilical cord attaching the Needle ships to the Battleship," said Toran. He had walked over next to Ben and was trying to see the Needle ship better. "Probably for fuel, electricity, charging batteries and stuff." "Jack, can you send a signal to fire through those umbilicals?" asked Colt. "Probably, if I was trained on Battleships," said Jack. "Where exactly do I look for the 'remote fire Needle missile's at Battle Carrier' button?" "Fine, just open the outer missile doors and shoot at that big ship outside," ordered Colt sarcastically. "I know where that button is," said Garth. "Wait!" shouted Ben. "Ben, damn it, what?" said Colt. "Colt, let him talk," said Garth. "He's the only one here so far with any sense." "Hey everyone, the big enemy ship is outside, not in here," said Toran. "Alright, Ben, can you fire those missiles?" Colt had lost his patience and sat down in the Captain chair waving his hands angrily. Ben faced the pilot's console, "Hello, Magic Box, this is the Captain." "Oh for the love of the ancestors, you're kidding right?" said Colt. "Hello, Captain Ben," said the ship navigation A.I. Colt's jaw dropped open and Jack rolled off his chair laughing. "You sat in the chair, but you never told the ship you are in charge," Toran grinned from ear to ear at Colt. "The ship still thinks Ben is the Captain." Colt covered his eyes, "Can we please shoot the bad guys?" "Magic Box, will you please shoot the missiles outside on the Needle ships at that big ship in front of us?" asked Ben. "Calculating target trajectory...." said the mechanical voice. "What target trajectory?" shouted Colt. "It's thirty feet away!" "Emergency maneuvers recommended after launching missiles, Captain Ben," said the A.I. "Would you like me to perform the maneuvers automatically?" "Yes please, thank you," said Ben. "I don't think you have to say please and thank you to it," said Colt beginning to hyperventilate. "Just shoot already." "Can't hurt to be polite to it," said Toran. "Give it a kiss, Ben," Jack was on the floor holding his side from laughing. "Flowers are always nice," Garth added helpfully. "Hang on to something, Captain Ben," said the A.I. "Thank you, Magic Box," said Ben grabbing the back of the navigator’s chair. Colt drew his revolver and pointed it at the navigation console, "Either that thing shoots at the big ship outside or I'm shooting your girlfriend, Ben." *** "My Lord, Captain Fox is on the Com-link," reported the acting Com-Officer. "Put him through," ordered the Commander. "This is Captain Fox, what is going on over there?" "Sir, a few minutes ago someone in a ship claiming to be Colton Cyness dropped out of...." "Commander," interrupted Captain Fox. "I know that much, I heard his order to surrender. I want to know what you are doing to capture him." "If it is the fugitive Colton Cyness, or even if it's not, I intend to destroy that antiquated and badly outdated Battleship when they show hostile intentions," said the Commander. "Commander, I doubt anyone except Colton Cyness would dare to face down a Battle Carrier... Wait... Commander, did you say antiquated Battleship?" asked Captain Fox. "Colton Cyness was last seen in a food vending ship." "Yes, Sir," said the Commander. "My Nav-Officer is working on sending our live Vid-feed, we took some damage a few days ago." "Have they said anything since the initial request for your surrender?" asked Captain Fox. "No, Sir, they have cut the Vid-transmission and are cowering in fear," said the Commander. "They are just children with no respect for the Glorious Kitsune Empire—I will punish them." "Commander, I assure you, if you are facing Colton Cyness, he is not cowering in fear," said Captain Fox. "That boy was born with the part of his brain that governs fear missing, and that team is likening to an ice-cube, they don't play games, and I doubt any of them even knows how to laugh as children do, and if you give them even the smallest opening they will destroy you. Make no mistake here Captain, that team is a cold and unfeeling death machine and they are at this moment devising a hundred ways to turn the advantage to themselves." "I believe you are giving them far too much credit," said the Commander. "The Vid-link is coming through now." Fox stood to watch the Vid-feed that appeared on the large Vid-screen that hung from the ceiling of the Bridge of the Battle Carrier. Fox was confused for a moment, the ship he was looking at was not a food vendor ship—it was the Blue Fox—the most deadly Battleship ever built. Fox had built that ship nearly two-hundred years ago and in his impetuous youth had spared no expense in the construction of the Blue Fox. "Commander, I have your Vid-feed..." shouted Captain Fox.”Full engine reverse now, close your shield doors..." Too late—Fox watched as the Blue Fox Battleship fired eight missiles into the unprotected Bridge of the Battle Carrier. The Blue Fox was only perhaps thirty feet away, there was no time for the Carriers anti-missile defense to do anything. The Carrier Bridge disintegrated into a molten hole of flame and debris. The Blue Fox fired it’s forward thrusters to maneuver back from the blast, and then the Blue Fox stopped and opened it's outer doors and unleashed hell into the hole that had been a Bridge. The exterior of a Battle Carrier wasn't impenetrable, but it was capable of withstanding a great deal of damage, but now the Blue Fox had an opening directly into the soft interior of the Battle Carrier… …the Blue Fox carried over two-hundred missiles loaded into it's auto-feeding missile launch rails, and the Battleship was firing everything it had into the helpless Carrier. The Cannon turrets began firing next and didn't stop until the guns were spinning silently, all rounds expended. The Battle Carrier began breaking apart from the inside; explosions rocked the ship and bulk heads ripped away. Most of the one-hundred thousand soldiers would be on the planet with the invasion forces, but there would be around ten-thousand crew still on board. The Carrier broke in half and billions of pieces of metal began it's descent into the atmosphere. The two largest pieces of the Carrier would remain in orbit for another fourteen years before it's orbit decayed enough to begin the final death fall. The greatest ship ever built would eventually come to rest in the salt desert and become home to every form of desert wildlife. Fox looked around his own Bridge, every crewman stood motionless, watching the giant ship break apart—No Battle Carrier had ever been destroyed or Kitsune force ever defeated. No—that wasn't true, thought Fox, last year it was Colton Cyness that destroyed an entire Drop Battalion, and now he had added a Battle Carrier to his achievements. "That Battleship is transmitting a message, but it's not just at us," said the Nav-Officer. "Lord Cyness is transmitting in every direction, it's a Galaxy wide transmission." The transmission would take weeks before it would reach the furthest worlds within the Empire, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. The transmission would be seen by every world, every citizen of the Empire would know that the Empire was no longer all powerful—this would be the beginning of the end. Colton Cyness had destroyed the Empire. Fox would never underestimate Lord Cyness again. "Put the transmission up," ordered Captain Fox. "I am Colton Cyness," Colt had a blood soaked bandage wrapped around one eye. " The Kitsune Empire kidnapped me, invaded my world, and are now attacking my school. We are just Gunslinger Cadets—just children that carry purple paint rounds in our guns and dream of one day becoming law enforcement officers for the very Empire that now seeks to slaughter us so that we can not grow up and stand against the evil and corruption that has become the Empire." Fox watched Colt dramatically limp over to the Captains Chair of the Blue Fox where one of his team members was laying on the ground being bandaged by another member of his team. The Vid-feed switched to footage of the destruction of the Battle Carrier with Colt's voice speaking over it. "I am one ship, one boy, not even a man yet, and I have destroyed one of their feared Battle Carriers, because nobody told me it couldn’t be done. I was only defending my friends, the kids in school with me. But I am injured, out of ammunition, helpless, and seven more Carriers are closing in on me." The Vid-feed switched back to Colt. "I may be dead within the hour." Colt laid a hand on the head of his injured team member and looked into the camera and held his gaze there. "Ancestors save the Children of the Empire," said Colt, his eyes beginning to tear up. Fox glared at the Vid-feed in anger—amazement—wonder. Colton Cyness was laying it on thick, but the Grackle News Network would eat this stuff up. Fox was looking at not only the end of the Empire, but the end of thousands of years of united civilization; there would be an armed revolt from all twenty-seven of the worlds of the Empire. "That damn boy should have been an actor instead of a Gunslinger, he was putting on a play for the camera," shouted Fox. “I doubt he’s even injured.” Fox needed to set an example quickly if he was to reduce the damage Colton was doing with his little theatrical play-acting. Fox had never intended to kill Colton Cyness, but now the survival of the Empire and his throne were at stake. "You created him," shouted Fox pointing at a man standing nearby. "Order him to surrender." "I can't do that, my Emperor," said Marshal. "I created what you told me to create, an Army of Cettise. I too thought the Cettise could be controlled the same as you did, but they can't, this is why they were destroyed four thousand years ago." "Don't lecture me," said Fox. "I want to stand with my students," said Marshal. "May I go?" "I release you from your oath, get off my ship," said Fox. "I've sent for two impartial mediators to negotiate a treaty between Lord Cyness and the Empire," said Marshal. "You know how to contact me when you are ready." "Send the order to all Carriers, fire everything at that Battleship," ordered Fox turning away from Marshal. Marshal didn't take the bait and kept walking, he didn't know what would happen next, but he doubted Colt would fall down just because seven Battle Carriers were attacking him." "I always said Colton Cyness would be a hard one to control," thought Marshal. "I'm starting to think it might be damn near impossible." *** “Boss?” Nick poked his head into Wes’s office. Wes took a breath; it was getting so hard to get anything done. He felt that he was being stretched too many directions at once, even with all the new deputies. How many were there now? Twenty? Thirty? He really should pay closer attention, but the line outside the door every morning wrapped around the block now. Urai could deal with the hiring of the new recruits, Wes had school and homework and the Judge dropping in every other day for status reports, and then he still had to go out and solve crimes—and of course his lessons with Mother Raven. “What is it, Nick?” “You wanted to know when ‘you know who’ was almost ready to leave,” said Nick. “You mean the Ravens?” asked Wes amused at Nicks cloak and dagger routine. “I thought it was a secret,” said Nick. “I suppose it is,” said Wes. “Tell Tani to get my car ready, I want to leave in five minutes.” Wes closed the literature book he was reading. The assignment from the teacher was to write a description of what true love is. Wes had scoured the book looking for some clue in the ancient stories about love, and he had found many stories about love. Great Knights doing impossible quests and daring feats, Kings invading other lands, lost Princesses waiting for their Prince to rescue them, captured soldiers bribing guards to smuggle letters out to their loves back home – but none of it was what Wes thought love might be. He shoved the book aside and walked around his desk and stopped at the door to his office. Oh yes, Wes grinned, there were no less than twelve ironing boards set up in the outer office with recruits diligently pressing the wrinkles out of pants, shirts, and one particularly attentive boy was ironing his socks. Wes pulled the door open and stepped out of his office and lazily pulled the door shut behind him. The recruits became hushed and tried to pretend they weren’t hoping the Gunslinger would be in a good mood and have mercy on them. Wes understood that the electrical outlets on the first floor were the only ones in the building working so far, but that wasn’t really a problem, it would take time to build something, and something was being built. Wes just wasn’t sure if he was doing it right yet. Wes walked past the ironing boards, pointed to a wrinkle one boy hadn’t yet found and pulled the front door open. Urai was moving back against a wall and pressing himself between two filing cabinets. Thor would be conducting the night shift uniform inspection, though they could hardly be called uniforms, the blue sashes identified the boy’s as Deputies of the Justice of the Peace. Early this morning Wes had scolded Thor for the condition of his footwear, and Thor always made whatever Wes caught him on as the primary item he would inspect recruits for. “Shoes,” said Wes. The boys dropped the irons and stampeded for the second floor living quarters and shoe polish. The boys shouted instructions and helpful tidbits to each other as they all tried to make it up the stairs at the same time. Wes took a moment to watch the fun, and watch Urai come out from between the filing cabinets as the stampede past and righted fallen irons before the building burned down. “I need the brown polish...” “I got the brown, come down to my room…” “I need the brush…” “Sean has it…” “No I don’t, you kicked it under your bed, I saw you…” “Oh yea, forgot…” “Hurry, we only got ten minutes left…” Wes shut the front door with a jingle just as Tani came screeching around the corner with the blue light flashing and the siren blaring. Wes was about to open the door and climb in when the Judges black sedan turned onto the street and headed for the Justice Office. “Turn the siren off, Tani,” said Wes. “Aw, come on,” said Tani. “Off,” Wes walked over to greet the Judge. The siren wound down but the blue light kept flashing. The Judge pulled up and stuck his head out the window, “I need to talk with you and heard the siren, what’s going on, bank robbery? Is there anything I can do to help, I’m a pretty good shot.” “No, Judge,” said Wes. “Just Tani testing the siren. “She tests that siren a lot,” said the Judge. “Is she driving? Does she have a license?” “Of course not,” said Wes getting back into his car. “She can’t get a license for four more years.” Wes closed the door before the Judge could protest, “Lets go, Airfield, and turn the siren back on.” Tani flipped the siren on and drowned out whatever the Judge was trying to say. The police car made all the difference in the world. Tani drove up to the gate with the light still flashing and was waved through. Tani followed the maintenance road around the outside of the Airfield, ships came and went to all destinations on Pyra, and to orbit as well. The Ravens had set up camp at the end of the Airfield out of everyone’s way as their ships were repaired. A small warehouse had been built for the special job, mainly assembly of parts coming in from Darai. Pyra wasn’t really equipped to build spacecraft from scratch. Over the course of thousands of years as each world became integrated into the Empire, worlds became more specialized in one or two specific fields; Pyra was a medical world, at least below the surface of the ocean, above the world was the capitol of all crime. “Stay here,” Wes told Tani and got out of the vehicle. The winged Raven walked over and faced Wes and the other Ravens spread out and surrounded the car. “I need to speak with you,” said Wes. “You have nothing I want to hear, Gunslinger scum,” said the winged Raven. “Only Mother Raven is keeping you alive.” “I know, and that needs to change,” Wes kept his hand away from his holster; this wasn’t a time for mistakes. “I’m asking you to come with me so we can speak.” “He said get out of here, murderer,” shouted one of the other Ravens and the shouts were added by the other Ravens. “Please,” whispered Wes to the winged Raven. The winged Raven held up his hand for the others to stop and his face took on a curious expression, a bit like right before a cat pounces on a mouse. “I’m going to go find out what he wants,” the winged Raven told the others. “I’ll be fine, maybe he will attack me and I’ll get to kill him.” The other Ravens laughed at that and Raen lifted his hands and his wings fluttered and spread out. “Okay, where to?” “I know you won’t get in the car with me,” said Wes. “Meet me on the roof of the Justice Building, but don’t land until I get there.” The winged Raven agreed and Tani raced through the city streets, weaving in and out of traffic; if she was trying to get Wes to show any emotion, it didn’t work, he subtly shifted his body with the moving car and whistled a little tune on the way back. “Don’t go back into the garage yet,” said Wes. “Go for a little drive for an hour.” Tani didn’t argue and screeched tires getting away, just in case the Gunslinger came to his senses and stopped her. Wes opened the door with a jingle. Thor was out with the night watch and Nick was where ever he went when he was off shift. Urai was still in the office working, as usual. “Grab your rifle and come with me,” Wes ordered the surprised Urai. The Judge was sitting at Wes’s desk and Wes poked his head in quickly, “Not right now, Judge, got an emergency.” Urai ran to catch up with Wes taking the stairs two at a time. Wes stopped at the stairs that went from the third floor to the fourth floor. A bored looking guard jumped to his feet from where he was sitting on the bottom step. “I told you the fourth floor was off limits,” said Wes. “Nobody got past me,” said the recruit deputy. “I put the guard there,” said Urai. “I don’t know what you’re hiding, but seems a guard is a good idea.” “Urai, take charge of this position,” said Wes. “Absolutely no matter what, don’t let anyone come up these stairs. I don’t think anything is going to happen, but just in case.” “No problem,” said Urai. He really wanted to know what the big secret was, but Urai also knew better than to ask. The Gunslinger would tell them when he was ready. Wes ran up the stairs and down the hall towards the stairs that would lead up to the roof, but the door where the secret was kept was already open, and the winged Raven was standing in the middle of the room holding the egg. “Explain or I’ll kill you,” said the winged Raven. “Mother Raven gave me the egg and said something about it being the Herald and the survival of every world depends on keeping it safe and hidden,” said Wes. “Who would ever look for a Raven egg with a Gunslinger?” The winged Raven stroked the egg and cooed to it softly, “She’s cold and you left her alone.” “I’ll get someone to help me with it,” said Wes. “What’s to keep me from taking it right now?” asked the winged Raven. “Nothing, I won’t lift a finger to stop you,” said Wes. “But if you choose to do as Mother Raven has ordered us both to do, I need something.” “What?” asked the winged Raven rocking the egg in his arms. “I can’t keep calling the egg an it,” said Wes. “It’s a living being and deserves more respect than that, but I’m not the father, you are. I need to know the eggs name, and some basic tips on taking care of the egg, I know nothing.” “Obviously,” scolded the winged Raven. “She was freezing when I got here,” “Your choice,” said Wes. “I’m not Mother Raven’s henchman, and I won’t steal an egg from the rightful father.” The winged Raven stared at Wes for a long time before finally answering. “Her name is Cassi.”