Port Of Adventure
The Bird of Prey flew into the eye of a large asteroid carven to resemble a human skull, as part of a long line of ships. Almost as many vessels left Skullport through the other eye. Jean, who was standing on the Forecastle with her partner, the mage Jon, was worried. "It may be difficult to get good crew here, when the port is as busy as it seems," the woman said. "What do your eyes see?" he asked, knowing there was something she did not tell. A blue flag with five gems, one black, one green, one white, one red and one blue, arranged in a circle around a yellow sun flies from all masts in the port I can see," she said. "The flag of the alliance of the five homeworlds," Jon said.
"Things seem to be more serious than even I thought. I see many ships equipped for war, but I doubt finding a crew will be difficult. Did you know Skullport was founded by a pirate from Unida only three generations ago? I wonder how he managed to create an asteroid matrix." Jean considered this for time. The item mentioned was necessary to give a dead piece of rock floating in space a breathable atmosphere. Only the Royal Academy of Unida was capable of producing them with any reliability. "He probably stole it from the academy, or one of their first transports to Oz'Nihead," she said.
"Now it is a free trading post, were everybody may go, except for the common enemies of all our peoples, the Illithids and Neogi," he said. It is a rough place, but with the strong naval presence it may be a bit calmer than usual. The ship hit the wharf with a gentle thud. The sailors secured the ship, but only a handful left their service. "Usually this place if full of crew members left behind in drunken stupor or the arms of a whore," Jon said. "I doubt it will be much different now. More ships men more people who may get stuck," quoth Jean. "There are also more captains looking for sailors," Jon said.
"We need more crew," Jean said. "I know," Jon replied. "You have a better way with people. This is your task. I will visit the embassy of Unida to find out, what is going on. I also have to replenish my spell components. The World Ocean ruined a more than I initially thought." Jean nodded. She knew they would soon need all the magic they could get. When Jon had left, she gave the task to 1st Lieutenant Claire Hercule. Jean had something else in mind. She left the ship, aimlessly wandering the port, looking at the ill organised building of the port area and the more carefully planned layout of the city proper.
People of many languages and colours thronged thickly. The noise of drunken singing and shouted conversations left dimly lit taverns. Shouts echoed out of half-legal gambling dens. Scantily clad men and woman posed on the balconies of brothels, moans and screams of pleasure coming from within, mingling with the noise of streets filled with people. Jean regarded several of the more handsome male whores for a time, but she had made a commitment to one partner and even a nymph would stay true to her love. A silver moon shone overhead, which suited her purposes quite well.
Jean entered a smithy, purchased a raw piece of quality steel and time to work at the forge. Rays of the moon shone through the window. Ever and anon, while she worked the metal into swords, she grabbed the rays of moonlight and broke them, as though they had physical substance and folded them into the steel of the weapons she was forging with great strength and endurance, one would not expect from one as beautiful as her. The smith, a burly middle-aged man with a full black beard stared at her, for she had shed her robe, revealing her perfect shape.
Slowly his attention turned from her to the work she was doing. When she was done, she had made two long and slender swords, shining with silvery moonlight. The blades were sharp as razors and would never dull. The smith was a master, but he would never be able to match her fey craft. Jean waited for her sweat to dry, before she put on her robe, wearing girdle and sheath just purchased around her hips. She had also purchased a sheath for the other sword and, impossibly, hid it beneath her robe. She left behind a bewildered smith.
Going to find Claire and Jon, she strolled through the city, returning to the rough port area. Most people avoided the confident and clerly armed woman, whom they rightfully believed to be quite dangerous. Not so a group of burly and rowdy men, who surrounded her, but kept their distance. Finally one stepped force as improptu leader. He was broad of shoulders and girth. His simple linen shirt was stained with spilt ale and liquor. His face was barely visible beneath the beard and dirt. He said: "Give us that shiny sword." He realised the woman towered over them, but there were two dozen men.
Jon ignored the various legal and illegal pleasures offered near the port and made his way into the city proper with strong purpose. Rowdies instinctively left the grim mage alone. Once he was in the calmer part of the city, he slackened his pace and listened to the conversation. He quickly felt a tangible tension in the air. It took him some time to pick up half-whispered conversations speaking of the threat of invasion and alien creatures. None seemed to be aware of the nature of the enemy, but all nations shipped supplied and weapons into the city. There were even rumours of a Silicar fleet nearby. Skullport was preparing for war.
The young mage arrived at a plaza near his destination. The tower that was the fortified embassy of his people was clearly visible. Instead of hastening to his destination, he sat down on a stone bench, looking at the domed ceiling overhead and the playful springs Lilian had introduced into the scene. Spread over the dome, when one knew what to look for were many defensive posts. All of them were manned. Jon knew of the spell magnifiers, increasing the range and size of spells to destroy incoming hostile ships. He wondered if the Sibar Ice Field, which was his next destination, was already under attack.
At the gate of the embassy he was intercepted by dwarf guards, who asked for his invitation. Jon sighed. "I should have one," he said. He had to search the pockets of his robes and his pouches for some time, until he produced a small stone tablet engraved with dwarf runes and a portrait of Jon. The guards stared at it with surprise in their eyes. They opened the heavy stone doors for him and Jon sat down in a hard stone chair beyond. Magical lights were spread along the walls, far enough away from each other to be discernible as individual sources of illumination.
Soon Jon was able to state his business. He had to remove his clothes, but there were no tattoos and his mind was clear of hostile influences. Quickly he dressed again and moved into the room of his commanding officer. Jon saluted and said: "Admiral Dragonhammer." The dwarf looked at the human for a moment, then he smiled. "It is good to see you again Jonathan Cranobly. I heard you spent ten years in feigned death. Your assignment is still the same, but I fear it has become more urgent." Jon nodded and said: "I have heard the talk in the streets."
He emptied many pockets and pouches, putting an assortment of valuable items with a strange sheen or glow on the table. "I want these to be sent to the Royal Academy. They have lost their potency as spell components by long exposure to the Phlogiston. Their state may give us new insight on the nature of the World Ocean." The dwarf said: "They will be sent with the next secure messenger. I have heard you have hooked up with a Lillian noble." Jon nodded and spoke: "Yes. Jean de Maraiya. She is a full-blood Nymph, I think." Admiral Dragonhammer said quite seriously: "Even at the Academy it was obvious you two were made for each other."
"We intend to go to the ethar outpost in the Sibran Ice Field, once we have replenished our crew and my spell components. I think they have been fighting our enemies for quite some time. They may also help refine and train Jean's psionic abilities." Admiral Dragonhammer said: "I was about to suggest the same. You will get some money for your magic. I would like to spent more time with you, but I have to plan the defence of this Asteroid." Jon nodded and said: "You would like me to return with more magic magnifiers. The Academy still did not figure out how to make them, right?"
The admiral only nodded. "How can they concentrate dozens of ships in just a few days?" he asked. "There are probably hundreds," Jon said. "I suspect they have a permanent gate somewhere. We are just fortunate that the current assault is focussed on the Sibran ethar. Our enemies are ancient spacefaring nations, their magic is probably far superior to ours. If the ethar do not stop them..." Admiral Dragonhammer continued the statement: "We are in serious trouble." Jon said: "Trouble is already coming our way. We encountered a vast world-devouring creature Jean identified as a stellar Witchlight marauder."
"One problem at a time," the dwarf said. Jon agreed and said: "I think at least high command at home should be warned. It may be heading for Solar instead of Oz'Nihead, as we belief. Just make sure that information is treated confidentially." The admiral said: "There will be a mass panic otherwise." He sighed and asked "You could not have arrived with better news?" Jon shook his head. "I would have liked to, but there are several threats not just to the colonies, but also to our home worlds." Admiral Dragonhammer said: "True enough. I will think this through."
Jon just nodded, saluted and left, knowing there was no more talk with the dwarf. It was this focussed no-nonsense attitude that all dwarves seemed to share, which annoyed the hell of all other races part of Unida. Jon sighed. The admiral had confirmed his suspicion. Sibran was already under attack. At least the sabre was a good ship to break through a blockade.
"What will you do when I refuse?" Jean asked the man in front of her with calm confidence. He looked into her smouldering emerald eyes, seeing death in their depths. Almost against his will, his gaze was drawn to her size and her perfect shape, her long legs, slender waist, firm breasts, full lips and flaming red hair. Jean closed a strong hand around the hilt of her sword. She drew the blade in the blink of an eye, the steel reflecting the frosty silver light of a moon not there. Jean's stance subtly changed into that of a crouching panther ready to spring.
The man, who had confronted her stepped back, one step at first, then another. He fled into the crowd, trying to put as many people between himself and the terrible woman. Jean felt the rest of the rowdies melt away, as she sheathed her sword and went looking for her 1st lieutenant and her lover. She found Claire first, realising the woman had done a good job. She had even hired two additional war mages. "I though we were going into danger, so we could need some additional firepower," she said. Jean nodded in agreement.
Jon arrived soon and she gave him the new sword. He looked at the new crew and quietly said: "I hope we will manage to merge them before the first battle. We should leave before Skullport is under Siege. We are at the brink of war." Jean nodded almost imperceptibly. He drew his new sword and whistled softly. "Moonsteel," he said. When he sheathed the sword, Jean said: "I made those blades for us. Our fighting styles are not well suited to usual swords." Claire said: "We have clearance to go." Jean said: "Then man the helm and let us go." The 1st lieutenant saluted and left the lovers.
"This is going to be more dangerous than we anticipated," Jon said. Jean just shrugged and smiled fiercely, no longer able to contain the passions and desires she had controlled during her visit to the port city, she hugged and kissed Jon hard. Swept away by her passion, she easily seduced him, intimately sharing with her partner. They missed the passage out of the skull's eye.
4:Home Of Ice