Starblazer- Through the Black Gate by Reiter

Author:Reiter [Reiter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lajko Press
Published: 2018-11-16T00:00:00+00:00

** b *** t *** o *** r **

With only the sound of the river to break the silence, Jocasta decided to turn in for the evening. Watch assignments had been made, though the woman had thought she would never have an opportunity to use Scimitar’s old straw trick in her life, and she was hard pressed to keep from laughing as the fixed lots were drawn. There was nothing else to do other than wait. With all of the materials aboard the two wagons, it had been easy enough for Mel to make four tents. One for the Captain, one for Z, Nulaki and Adleon, and two for the remaining crew. Despite how unfair it had seemed, once Annsura suggested one for the guys and one for the girls, there was no turning back. Jocasta opened the flap of her tent and caught Llaz in her peripheral vision. He was at the edge of the river, smoking a cigaro he had bummed off of her a couple of days ago. A moment of consideration, and Jocasta closed the flap of her tent behind her, walking around it to sit down beside Llaz.

“Llaz,” she greeted him.

“Captain,” he replied in a tone of voice that made Jocasta think of other things the two of them could be doing. No one had any business with a voice that low and smooth. “It’s a beautiful night. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sky so big before.”

“One upside of being on an underdeveloped planet…”

“And the only one,” they said together before laughing.

“Good one, Captain,” Llaz chuckled.

Jocasta sat for a moment, looking up at the stars and noticing how the view no longer had the same sweeping impression it once did. She had seen the stars from a perspective she did not know if she could ever revisit. Her current view was pale in comparison, but she would not mention it.

“I find myself in a bad place, Llaz.”

“How’s that, Captain?”

“I gave an order… one that I believe was a good order to have given…”

“But now you think you should go against that order,” he suggested.

“Bingo.”

Llaz nodded as he took a drag on his cigaro. He blew out slowly, weighing his options. “I suppose if I just offer up what the Desert Witch said to me, you wouldn’t be in such a spot.”

“It would sure make things simpler,” Jocasta agreed as she looked at the young man.

“Careful what the Captain calls you,” Llaz revealed.

“Excuse me,” Jocasta replied.

“Yeah… that’s what I said,” Llaz returned. “She said, ‘have a care for what the Captain calls you next’. Then she showed me my history – something I wish was more of a short story, instead of the chunky angst biscuit that it is.”

“Angst isn’t something I’ve seen coming out of you, Llaz.”

“I appreciate that, Captain,” Llaz said with a smile on his face. “You know, my mother only gave birth four times and yet I am the youngest of ten.”

“WHAT?!”

“Three sets of triplets and me,” Llaz nodded. “Imagine being considered some sort of freak for being born normally.

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