Copyright J.B. Norman
Kathryn, Amarantha, and Dunstella run down the passage through the Crystal Labyrinth. And blunder straight into the rest of the Kraken Special Squad.
“Princess,” the Syntaxian woman standing at the head of the five remaining fireteams of the Kraken Special Squad. “If you’d be so good as to come with us…”
She raises her stun rifle.
“…we’d prefer not to have to resort to violence.”
“You’re pointing a gun at us!” Kathryn cries.
“Twenty guns, actually,” the Syntaxian Kraken says.
“…Twenty guns,” Kathryn mutters.
“Twenty guns does seem rather excessive,” Amarantha notes. “I don’t suppose you’d indulge me as to why this is all necessary on my account.”
“Allow me to assure you that we don’t intend you any harm, Princess,” the Syntaxian Kraken says.
“Again, you’re pointing guns at us,” Kathryn counters.
“We have very clear instructions that you are not to be harmed.”
Kathryns rolls her eyes. “Guns.”
“Baron Aurel would very much like you to accompany him to Corona Regis,” the Syntaxian Kraken says.
Amarantha’s eyes go wide with realisation. “The dastard! He wants to open the Great Vault of Kings! He has no right! Only the Thrice-Crowned of Ljósálf with the imperium of all three houses has a right to the Vault.”
“Which is precisely why the Baron needs you, Princess,” the Syntaxian Kraken explains. “He needs the Gene-Code of a member of the Third House. But, rest assured, he has not intention of harming you. He will merely scan your Gene-Code, claim the Vault, and you will be allowed to go on your way.”
Amarantha scoffs. “As if I trust the word of that scoundrel.”
“So,” Kathryn says, hoping she’ll be able to form an actual plan by the time she’s done talking, “are you going to do it, or are you just going to stand around like an idiot and tell us your plan.”
She smirks.
“I thought you were supposed to be the best mercenaries in the galaxy.”
“Kraken Special Squad,” the Syntaxian Kraken says, “open fire on—”
She is interrupted by a snowball crashing into the visor of her helmet.
“Kathryn did it!” Dunstella cries, even as she starts forming a second snowball.
Kathryn whips her stun pistol for its holster, puts her sister behind her and starts shooting, as she leads Amarantha and her sister back around the corner of the passage.
“Go!” the Syntaxian Kraken commands the others, wiping the snow from her visor. “Don’t lose them again. And keep your weapons set to stun!”
She aims her own stun rifle and advances.
Kathryn narrowly ducks a stun bolt that she feels — and smells — singe the ends of her hair.
She responds with a shot of her own that harmlessly dissipates against the Kraken’s armor.
The firefight is suddenly interrupted by the sound of many webbed feet pounding on the ice.
“Quack-quack-quack!” announces Praetor Pendleton P. Palumbo as the Ledu Security Forces storm into the Crystal Labyrinth.
Even running for her life, Kathryn is distantly grateful that she’s the only one who speaks Penguinian. Amarantha would be furious to hear such a colourful stream of invective.
Given that I haven’t really been pacing or planning this whole endeavour out beyond “do the next bit”, I think the climax is moving too quickly and coming across as, well, too anticlimactic.
That’s still within acceptable parameters, though, since my goal is to do 500 words a day, come up with a concept, then come back and work that vague into something good.
So, basically, this is even less than a first draft, and considered in that light, it’s going fantastically. I’ve been able to flesh out the Space-Realmgard setting by something like a factor of Infinity.
Also, I’ve been able to write a Hardboiled Police Chief who’s a big penguin.
I’m honestly really excited to come back to this one and work it into something, um, workable.
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