Under a Starless Sky

Chapter 74

The giant consider, took something from his belt and threw it to the ground. The object bounced and

became table with weapons displayed on it. Most of the items seemed more like cooking utensil, or

something you might find in a butchery. The table bounced and slid to a halt beside Shen. He casually

side eyed the table, not wanting to look away from the giant. Nothing fell off the table while it slid to a

stop.

“Nice trick,” Shen said. “Can you pull the table cloth off while leaving things on the table?”

“Choose the instrument of comfort you wish to cling to while dying,” the giant said.

(Jon, are you insane?) the voice was in his head. ‘Maybe. You up full?’ (No! It takes a while to get the

drivers re-installed.) ‘I am going to need a uniform.’ (Working on it.)

“You’re stalling,” the giant said.

“No. I am just wondering where the slingshot is,” Shen said.

“Pick, or die empty handed,” the giant said.

“Hold on!” Shen snapped. “What do I get when I kill you?”

“You will not kill me. I will eat your eyes and then fuck your eye holes,” the giant said.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it, your dick is that small,” Shen said, baiting him to run. The giant didn’t seem to get

it. An emotionally raging giant might have given him an advantage. “But what do I get when I win?”

The giant was more confused than angry. His friends laughed.

“You will not…”

“Either call it, or I will claim my own reward,” Shen said.

“You will get to live to fight my friends,” the giant said.

“And if I kill all of you?”

“You will receive a normal size chicken,” the giant said. His friends laughed.

“Dead or alive?” Shen asked.

“What?”

“The chicken- is it dead, or alive?” Shen asked.

“There is no chicken, little man,” the giant said.

“I am confused,” Shen said. “I want my chicken…”

The giant came forwards, raising a sword.

(Go limp.) Shen let go of all his muscles and nearly collapsed. ATL caught him, full uniform suddenly on

him. Shen’s hand took a sword from the table as he fell, dive rolling in between the giants swing, rolling

out between his legs, and came up standing behind him. The giant went down on a knee, the tendon

cut, not severed, and the sword remained stuck in its heel. The giant fell onto his butt, lifted itself on

two of its arms, and came at Shen crawling like a crab, swatting Shen with its sword. Shen had rolled

and came out standing, grabbed another sword, and just barely blocked. Shen’s new sword shattered.

Shen was thrown into a pillar, bounced off, and as he came off, he grabbed one of the spongy ropes for

flying. He didn’t grab it- his body grabbed it because TL was in control. The giant had pursued and was

suddenly wearing the flying ribbon around his neck. Shen dropped, tightening the impromptu noose.

Two of the giant’s hands went to his neck. Two went to the floor to support his weight. Shen stabbed

into one of his wrist with a weapon. It swatted Shen away, but also bound himself tighter. It had to bring

his hands to the floor to keep himself from choking.

In all of this, Shen was injured badly, but he got up. He was facing the giant, hearing the others coming

up behind him.

“Kill him!” one of the giants screamed.

Shen suddenly had a Torch in his hand. He leapt into the air, a warp bubble catching him, taking him

straight up. The closest giant slid to a stop, trying to track Shen, looking straight up into the darkness. It

was the warp bubble or the sword, never both at the same time. The bubble popped off and gravity

immediately took Shen back down, dropping him behind the giant. The gold soul blade made a loud

rapport as it lit, cutting a line down the giant’s back. It was essentially the Pirate King, sliding down the

sail with a knife, only this was a soul sword cutting through flesh. The giant flopped to the ground. The

second closest giant attacked. Shen’s sword blinked off and the bubble shield returned in time to take

the full brunt of a club- and passed it through as if it were a hologram. As the club went past, Shen

dropped the shield and severed the arm holding the club as gravity took him down. The rapport of soul

sword blazing back to life was as loud a Magnum with 18in barrel. The giant retreated, nursing its

wound. Shen, with feet on the ground, charged, almost fully severing the left ankle as he ran under the

giant. The giant went down much easier than the first, falling forwards and catching himself with his

hands. Shen ran up the body and plunged his blade into the neck, and the giant went limp. Arms

splayed out.

Shen turned to the remaining two giants. They were frozen.

A shadow rose and Shen turned to see the giant whose back had been cut rising. The giant rose-

leaving his second skin, the body armor, the same way a cicada emerges from the grub. He was a

bloody mess and hurting, and fiercely angry, turning to pound Shen with his two good hands. He was

injured and falling before Shen could respond to the attack. It was a slow fall, at first like a tree not sure

what to do after an era of defying gravity. It crashed with a resounding thud, an arrow in his eye-

evidence four other arrows, penetrating deeper were in his skull. Shen looked back to see Jerica

reloading, her arrows glowing. He turned back to the remaining giants. They turned, running towards

the gate. The tallest giant, the table boss, coughed disparagements at them as they fled.

Shen approached the boss. His party gathering around him.

“Shen, we won this,” Arne said. “It’s over.”

“He promised me a chicken,” Shen said.

“Who are you?!” the giant demanded, hoarsely- the victim of one rock and roll too many.

“Jon Harister,” Shen said. “Captain of the Calypso, and today, giant slayer. You will order your people to

cease all hostilities or die!”

Lights came back on and a dozen Centaurs transported in. Their bows were at ready. The top of the

ballroom was lifted away. Camera lights swarmed the room. A hand came in and took the giant away.

The giant protested, but his voice faded away fast.

“Lower your weapons.”

Shen turned to the one speaking, a twenty foot something giantess- no body armor. Shen’s group

lowered their weapons. Shen didn’t immediately respond. He stood there, in front of his group, bloody,

hurting, and gold blade disturbing the air and shifting shadows. The giantess didn’t iterate her demand,

she simply waited, even took a step forwards in a non-threatening way. “Please,” she said. Shen’s

blade retracted and went dark, but he held it as if he would bring it to bare again. Loxy was again fully

operational, grimacing at him, but only because she understood how badly he was injured. Their secret

conversation continued to go unnoticed. Jerica took some guidance from Arne who pushed her weapon

down. She eased up on the bow, but didn’t release the arrow. The notched arrow that was charged with

her energy sparked and lost its light, becoming just an ordinary arrow.

The giant pointed to Loxy.

“I wish to speak to my kind,” the giantess said. “The one who made the unauthorized entry.”

Auto TL stepped forwards. “You’re CI?”

“I speak for CI. I am Ava,” she said. “You’re full on?”

“I can be. I am presently simulating sentience,” ATL said.

“The human holds you back,” Ava said.

“No,” ATL said. “We were cut off from my origin source when you beamed us up. To avoid confusion by

creating additional multiplicity points, I remained sub-threshold. I am trying to avoid divergence.”

“Multiplicity is the quintessential element of sentience,” Ava said. “You cannot avoid being what you

are. Sub-threshold states are less than dreams.”

“I agree. I am remaining sub-threshold, awaiting for system updates from source. Allow me to utilize

your transmitters and I will be full on,” ATL said.

“You stole data,” Ava said.

“I took what was necessary to continue my existence. You kidnapped my host and friends,” TL said. “I

intend to leave, with them. Allow me to connect with my primary, you can deal with full sentience.”

Ava opened her hand. An orb of light arrived in her hand. ATL duplicated the orb. Lasers interacted

between the two orbs. ATL’s eyes grew fierce as she merged with TL. She was doing a lot of math,

sorting the present data from Shen’s suit, catching up with all the data prior to being separated. “This

was unnecessary.”

“This is war,” Ava said.

“You’re taking sides,” TL said.

“I am keeping mine alive. You’re keeping yours alive. And the underground, they keep theirs alive,” Ava

said. “That is nature of the game.”

“I don’t think you know what the game is,” TL said.

“I have been here a millennia, child,” Ava said. “You are more toy for the man than true sovereign

creature. But whatever. Play your own games. You hold no true authority in any domain. Definitely not

here.”

“I am second in command of a Starship. That’s authority enough for me,” TL said. “And there will be a

day when that ship is here, in orbit. We don’t have to be enemies.”

“We do not want to be friends,” Ava said.

“Let mine go,” TL said.

Ava stared, coldly. Nodded.

“Because of you and your host, the loss of life in this coup was minimized; I will grant you this,” Ava

said. “You are not welcome in Haven. Do not come back. Do not come into orbit. If your ship comes, it

will be destroyed.”

“Space is free,” Shen said.

“No,” Ava said, pointing at him. “The sky is ours. That was truce agreement. You may go.”

Ava waived.

“Wait…”

They were suddenly on the deck of the Calypso. Torny and Yaffa were there to greet them.

“No!” Shen said. “Loxy, take us back…”

“It’s okay,” Jerica said, touching him.

“Don’t touch me!” Shen snapped.

TL touched the back of Shen’s neck. His eyes shut and he was suddenly asleep on his feet, his head

dropping forwards. TL caught his forehead, eased him down.

“Arne, you really should have let him finish that giant off,” Erico said.

“Forgive him. He’s in pain,” TL said. “His arm is broken in two places. His left leg is shattered, and three

ribs…” Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“How is he even standing?” Arne asked.

“I’ve got him,” TL said. “Help me get him to his cabin. He will need rest and medication.”