Cutlass Sharpened (23 page)

“
Date? What date?” She
stepped back, again caught off guard before realizing something
else. “And who the hell are you to tell
me
to shut up?”

Oliver winked and suddenly he was at the
door. “Renee, you’re going to be mine one way or another. So save
those lips. I plan to make them be used for more than a single kiss
on my… mouth.” He then vanished out the door.

Renee was hot on his heels, as scarlet as her
hair. “Fucker! Get your ass back here and seal the deal! I’m not
saving it for you or suck you off!” She flew out the door too.

Visor, perched on Steven’s shoulder said “I
bet the next Beasts’ eyeball Renee will be fully mated before the
end of the year.”

“
I give it the night we
reach Verard.” Steven took the bet. “Those two fight like cats and
dogs. It’s clear he’s the only one insane enough to want to be
mated to the Hellcat. He gets under her skin like no one
else.”

“
If
she doesn’t kill him along with the rest of us to get that
kiss over and done with before she tears the ship apart.” Satellite
chirped, landing on Stone’s left shoulder.

“
Uh, ruys, rhy ris the wall
mooring?” barked Bell as her hackles began to lift and she crouched
down, baring her teeth. Weapons readied.

“
Sorry, had to trick her.”
Came Oliver’s whispering voice before his full head mask drew back
to reveal his grinning face. The plank pattern of his clothes
changed into a light brown shirt and blue jeans. A chameleon
aspect. “She would have caught me and given me the what
for.”

“
So your armor can do
camouflage too? Sweet!”

“
I can’t become invisible
like a Phantom, Steven.”

“
And she has no idea you
tricked her huh?”

“
I hope not.”

“
Well I do now.” Renee
sneered. Oliver was lifted off the ground and flipped over. Her
outstretched hand held him there. “I was still chipped into Stone’s
armor when you showed your hand. You’re fast, but I still would
have got you before reaching the elevators. Prepare
yourself.”

Before Oliver could fight back, Renee’s
gloved hand caressed the back of his head and sweetly soft lips
pressed to his. She made it quick, but memorable, hanging upside
down. She pulled back with an evil smile. “Now we’re done.” Then
released her hold.

Oliver fell on his head and groaned in mild
pain of the awkward landing.

Before he could think badly
she caught him suddenly off guard at the open door saying “Oliver,
this date of yours better be spectacular or you’ll regret it for
the rest of your long life. Make it count. You got
one
chance.”

And left.

“
Did you all see what I just
did?” Satellite chirped and fluffed his wings.

“
The Hellcat just accepted a
date!” Visor beat his wings too.

“
Isor, looks like your
rartner’s wager is more romisin.” Bell howled to the
eagle.

“
Be mindful. She may still
be hacking your armor.”
Sparky’s words shut
them all up.

Oliver though felt his heart racing and in a
way he never experienced. He could still taste Renee’s sweet lips
on his. Her arousal was like nothing he experienced to date and her
saliva was now part of him. It was his first kiss and he was
instantly addicted. Until that kiss he thought he was fooling
himself. Not he was positive she was going to be his. He would
fight tooth and nail to make her see him as he saw her. And she
gave him a chance and he’d do it right, but alone. He knew it had
to be all him. He could not ask others or she would know. He had to
surprise her. That was the only thing so far which had given the
best results.

Renee hated romance. She despised it. That he
knew already.

Eventually Oliver made it up onto the deck
alone after taking a needed shower. It was to be his first time in
FTL and know about it. He hurried to the rail, getting in position
seconds before First Mate Abdul’s voice sounded ship wide. “Jump in
ten minutes. I repeat. Ten minutes.”

Oliver stared out into the Sapphire Nebula,
taking in its grand painting on the largest canvas in the universe.
Dust, gas and everything else looked so amazing with the array of
already formed stars as a backdrop. He felt at peace staring into
the heavens. He belonged to them and wanted to see them all.

Caught up in all the grandeur he barely heard
“Five. Four. Three. Two. One.”

Swirling energy appeared in front of the
Dorgnox and spread wide as a subspace wormhole opened wide. The
Sapphire Nebula disappeared in a spiraling rainbow of colors. There
was no sound in space and the great ship didn’t even shake as it
got enveloped. Oliver only noticed a great brightening in the back
of the ship where the thrusters fired them through the shortcut of
normal space. Oliver had seen pictures, but revealed before his
eyes was a sight he’d never soon forget.

He was so caught up in it he didn’t realize
he was no longer alone.

Renee had snuck up and enjoyed his childlike
awe at FTL space. She stayed quiet, watching him and the spinning
hues going from white to black and back again with every imaginable
color gradually changing in between.

They stood there in silence for over an hour,
enjoying the view.

That is till the colors suddenly vanished.
“Something’s not right.” Renee said.

“
Emergency. Emergency!
Prepare for crash landing.” The alert sounded.

Rising in front of the Dorgenox was a great
jeweled sphere of blue and green. The planet Zerika, wild and
untainted by overdevelopment from human hands appeared. Only it was
too close and Oliver’s calculating mind knew the orbit the Dorgenox
tried to make had gone askew. He wove an arm around Renee and drew
his sword which plunged to the hilt into the railing. Renee didn’t
fight him as the ship began shaking as the forward shields ignited
in the Zerikan atmosphere. The planet seemed to disappear under
friction of atmosphere, but up on the bridge Abdul Krabble spun the
antique wheel seen on sailboats of old. It rotated the Dorgenox’s
underside towards the planet.

A great fireball became the Dorgenox as the
ship’s engines cut out, but the advanced gravity actuators rotated
the Dorgenox into landing procedures. He pulled back on the grand
wheel and the nose of the ship lifted, creating maximum surface
area so the atmosphere slowed its deadly descent to manageable
parameters. Abdul was not worried the ship’s shielding would fail.
It could take much more punishment than reentry could ever
deal.

The real problem was the planet. If not
slowed, the Dorgenox would buckle and be lost forever.

Using intuition gained by countless exploits,
Abdul dropped the nose and fought to keep the violently vibrating
ship from tearing itself apart.

The flames vanished to be replace by clouds
that passed through in a second. Below awaited the jungle planet. A
double sonic boom shook the sky as the ship began doing side to
side motions, slowing itself further, but there was no runway or
safe landing area to offer assistance.

“
Hold on!” Oliver yelled
over the noise and Renee turned, her hair snapping out with her
eyes blazing, as she held him tight. She created a secondary
barrier around them both and others for seven kilometers around,
holding them still with her power alone.

Ground rent like the trees that passed below
like miniature plants. Hills like rocks. The Dorgenox shook
violently and eased slightly as it hit a wide river, but cut past
it into another chunk of land, slowing faster and faster.

Sudden weightlessness happened for a few
seconds, shooting off a cliff for a hundred meters. Then with a
shudder a blast of water shot up both sides of the ship. Momentum
slowed and came to a stop as the bow ran aground less than half the
length of the Dorgenox, the other half stinking out in the
water.

“
You alright?” Oliver looked
worriedly down at the woman in his arms. She didn’t respond.
“RENEE!”

The yell snapped her from the terror gripping
her. Her hair settled down some as her eyes looked down and through
the ship, connecting to life support sensors. “People are hurt. I
need to get to med bay right now.”

She went running across the deck and he
matched her pace. “What can I do?”

“
Stay up here and deal with
any Beasts that may get through the barrier.”

“
Alright. Check yourself for
injuries first. If you are bleeding internally and pass out you’ll
be no good to anyone.”

“
Don’t worry about me,
Dumbass. This is what I do. You just keep Beasts off my sweet ass
or you won’t get that date.”

“
Alright, Red. Let me know
if you need me.”

“
I need you about as much as
a tumor.” She grinned and charged ahead as he stopped, sword
drawn.

Oliver’s flexible mask still covered his
head, the cape flaring out as he stood tall. Seconds later he heard
Stone’s voice in his ear. “Oliver, where are you?”

He touched his ear and said “Out on deck
keeping an eye out for Beasts, but there is a lot of ground to
cover. What is your situation?”

“
Up on the bridge. I see you
down there.” Oliver turned and looked up at the window high above
the main airlock into the bowels of the Dorgenox. Bright morning
sunlight glinted off the few undamaged parts of the man’s silvery
armor and helmet covered head. “The ship’s in bad shape. The main
thruster and guidance system was too taxed with so little Booster
Oil to stay in proper FTL. It shut down. I’m reading sixteen hull
breaches from the emergency landing. The gravity strip running the
length of the Dorgenox has multiple injuries and can’t lift itself
off the ground. Steven, Visor, Deegen and Bell are on their way to
the major breaches till they can be plugged before the Beasts find
an easy access point. Shields and low gravity aboard are still
operational, thank the stars, but best to not take a chance before
the ship seals itself. Stay down there. I’m sending Satellite to be
an extra set of eyes for you. You know his com. Till we get the
captain’s orders, stay there and take care of any
pests.”

“
Understood.” Oliver turned
from the bridge and stared out over the great deck. “Satellite, you
read me.”

“
I am. Flying out the
airlock… now.” The door lifted and the falcon sped out into the
air, gaining altitude. Immediately he chirped “Oliver! Portside,
four kilometers ahead. I see a Piranha chewing down into the deck.
Likely from the great lake we hit.”

Oliver was already making mighty leaps and
spotted the pale fish-Beast. It was just a meter long, but usually
attacked in a school. So dedicated to eat its way inside it didn’t
react as Oliver landed and cut it in half. Slight hunger from a
week of no eating reminded him via a growling stomach. Like before,
the vambrace condensed the Beast to a tiny form, but used all of
it, bones and all. Only scat and fluids remained. A hole opened
around his mask’s mouth and the food was swallowed. It sealed back
immediately after.

Satellite found no other Beasts and circled
over the ship on patrol.

Finally when the morning sun hung high
overhead, at the noon hour Oliver turned to the access hatch
hissing open to find the Hunters and companions walking out
together. He said “Nothing to report. It’s been quiet for
hours.”

“
Only out here.” Stone
announced grimly. “It a fucking mess in there. About three dozen
were heavily wounded, but Ms. Dorgen is up to it. Ship repairs are
going to take weeks. The engines are already starting self-repair,
but will take weeks too. The minimum Oil we had really caused
serious damage to the FTL drive, but the major hull holes are
sealed and we’re not taking on anymore water.”

“
Any
good
news?” Oliver’s mask pulled
back.

“
You are in luck. I spoke
with Elder Scythe and we’re about a full day out from the main
village. He’s already sending spare Hunters to replace us. Ship
sensors do not detect any Beasts above D-Rank nearby and the ship’s
shields can keep them out with ease. C-Rank ones are clustered two
days away.” Stone rolled his neck. “Because of this Captain Dorgen
is sending us on ahead to the primary Zerikan village to procure
Inferno Fruit and process it on the way to the village. Afterwards
Deegen will bring it back and get the ship over to the hover-port
where it can be more easily protected in the village’s sights and
barrier.”

“
But what about the crew?
Renee? Can’t we help?”

“
She doesn’t need any and
already punched a man in the throat for a minor scratch when others
are more critical. We have the captains orders, Brother. We
leave
now
.” Stone
took the lead and soon was jumping overboard, but his grappling
hook was already anchored on the railing before doing it. Deegen
picked up Bell in one arm and they followed together. Oliver alone
jumped without need as the Zerikan gravity was not dangerous to
him. Six times normal would sting, but not kill. Nine plus most
definitely would from that height. His mask reapplied itself a
moment before diving under water. Oxygen was made through the
filter in the mask of its own accord, allowing Oliver to breathe in
the murky depths. The membranes over his eyes cleared the vision,
allowing to see beyond what his natural eyes could not through the
murky and disturbed water.