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Chapter 27: A bittersweet victory
The Officer's mess was exactly that: A mess. The area was closed off via the standard bright yellow "DANGER: AREA CLOSED" tape, and beyond Robert could see why it was closed. The tables and chairs were still all smashed on one side, and there were various colored stains and smears on the walls, floor, and ceiling. In addition, the serving line was dented in a few places, and there was a dark red stain at one end which Robert was certain was blood. They quickly decided to go to the enlisted mess two levels up after ted had turned visibly white, and found a slightly happier scene: Not only was the hall open, but it was running at full steam. They gathered plates of food, and sat down at a table. Shannon dug right in, but robert was still looking at Ted, who was still pale. "What's wrong, sir?" Ted Shivered visibly. "I have an ability that few weres have, but is somewhat common amonst the visionaries in the magi guild: I can see the recent past, and what I saw downstairs is Not Pleasant." He pushed his tray away from him. Shannon looked at him and frowned. I think we need to go somewhere alone. Robert volunteered to carry the trays for everyone, and they made their way to Ted's office, which had survived the attack fully intact. They closed the door, he hit the privacy fields, and reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a flask. He took a slug from it, and cleared his throat.
"Before you start, Shannon, this is NOT booze. It's a potion that is designed to repress my vision ability. I normally carry it with me at all times, but this is the one time that I left it here. You saw the red stains on the serving line? Those were indeed blood stains, from a crewmemeber trying to get to a safe area. He was caught by the blast, and decompression did the rest." He took another, larger slug from the flask and continued. "I know that I should have come back here right away when I first stepped on board, but I figured I could hold off until I had some food first. I guess I was wrong." Shannon looked at time. "You poor thing." She got up, walked around the desk, and gave him a large hug. She gently took the flask from him as he started to sob. "My squad, my team-mates, MY FRIENDS died, and I could do NOTHING!" Robert looked at him. "Sir?" Ted indicated the datapad on his desk, which robert picked up. It was the casulty list for the Hillary. Almost all of Bravo Squadron was listed, except for the two members left sitting in Ted's office.
Shannon hugged Ted tighter, and she started whispering something. Ted looked at her suddenly in shock, and fell asleep instantly. "I cast a 'dreamless sleep' spell on him. We need some professionals here, and here fast before this gets ugly." Robert used the comm to call up to the wardroom. Stromson answered almost instantly. "Ted! What's up?" Robert coughed. "Sir, this is Corlo. Colonel Jackson needs some help. He saw the casulty list and he lost it. Shannon's got him sedated at the moment, but we need some professional help down here, and soon." Stromson made a grunting noise. "I'll get one of the consulers down there on the double. Was he drinking out of the flask he has too?" Shannon answered. "Yes sir. He drained it actually." Stromson answered immedately. "Damn. One of the dead was our potion maker, too. I think the gate to the Castle is still open. When the consuler gets there, I want the lot of you back over there. I'll get Tigra on the horn and let him know you four are returning. I have no idea if they have any potion makers over there right now, but they'll know who can make his special brew if anyone." The comm clicked off, and scant seconds later there was a knock on the door. Robert opened it, and saw a human female wearing a veil. "I take it the person in distress is the sleeping one?" Shannon nodded. "He's in a dreamless sleep. I thought it best to park him in one of those until you could get here." The veiled woman nodded. "He too heavy for me to carry easily. I've been instructed to bring him, and the two of you, back to the castle, and to bring the datapad with you, as that information is now public." In the end,Robert shifted to Bear form, and they draped Ted's sleeping form on top of Robert. They barely fit into the lift, but they managed to get up to the Third level and back into the castle were the Three were waiting for them. They got Ted to a room and laid him gently on the sofa.
Shannon had looked over the datapad, and was relieved to find that out of her section, there were no deaths. There were two serious injuries from the team she lead, and she decided to visit with them afterward Ted was in good hands. Robert and Bear talked for a bit about the potion that Ted had drank. Fortunately, there was enough left in the flask that the potion maker could determine what it was, and Bear said that he knew a potion maker down the road that could make this up. He turned and went down the stairs to the exit, leaving James and Tigra talking with the veiled human. Shortly, they both turned, and ushered Robert and Shannon out, closing the door after they left. "They need privacy at this stage" James had said. "In addition, Bear took the flask with him. I assume he's getting a potion maker?" Robert nodded, and shifted back to hybrid. "He said that he knew someone down the road that knew how to make it." James nodded. "Excellent. And now, The two of us need to talk to the two of you." They went into a second room, and closed the door.
"Shannon, I know you've read the report. Have you robert?" He shook his head. "I read the part that stated that my squad was obliterated, Sir. I did not get a chance to finish, though." Shannon handed the pad to him. "Read away, dear bear." She turned to Tigra. "WIll I need to perform any magic tomorrow that you can think of?" Tigra shook his head. "Nope. What'll you have?" Shannon's response. "Rum and coke, hold the coke." Robert had finished reading the summary. "Same here, only hold the rum. I think I drank enough last night." Shannon nodded. "Indeed." He loooked at the action reports for how his squad had died, and after a few minutes of reading he looked up. His eyes were blurry. "They died with honor and courage, at least." Shannon looked at him, and he explained. "They were the only squad that followed the Sh'Maa as it dived toword the remaining shivan battleship. They died defending her when the drones rushed them." Tigra nodded. "And they volunteered for it, knowing that it most likely suicide. They all received the highest award we have, the Gold Star and Claw, along with posthumous combat bonuses and double rank promotions." Robert nodded slowly. "I knew Anderhall very well, as we were in the academy togather. He jumped ranks due to his unorthodox tactics during our training. He was a gifted tactition and an ever more gifted fighter pilot." Robert looked up at Tigra and James. "He gave me the idea for the 'death blossom' manuver. he said that he had seen it out of an old movie once and he thought that the Buzzsaw platform would be ideal for it." Robert looked at the datapad again. "Yep, the last recorded acts of each of the AI was the death blossom. The ships simply didn't have enough armor or shield left to pull it off and survive against the straglers." Shannon hugged him as Robert put the datapad back down. At that point, there was knock on the door, and Bear walked in with a rather familar face in tow.
The Bartender of the Yankee Rose had a small case with him. He set it on the table as Robert looked on in shock. "Right, then!" Opening the case, he began pulling out flasks and bottles, while opening the latter. "The flasks are for Ted. Both have his 'poison' and should keep a while longer then the last flask." he handed everyone else a bottle. "The bottled are some mead I brewed up a couple days ago, and I reckon that y'all need a good belt. This one, however, is mage and were-safe. No more fizzles or stuck forms!" Robert took a swig of the mead. "This is... excellent mead, sir. My compliments." The bartender nodded. " It'll also cheer you up. Drink up and toast the fallen! Even the dead need to party!" He took a long swig out of the last bottle, and robert suddenly saw why he said what he did: Under the influence of the mead, Robert could see through the illusion, and he saw that the bartender was not quite alive. Robert stared at him, and the bartender caught him at it. "Yeah, I'm slightly on the dead side. It's a long story, don't ask. Let's just say that I'll be running the Yankee Rose for a very long time." Shannon chuckled. "The Bartender of the Damned. I thought I'd never see this day. Cheers matey!" The bartender looked at her, and winked at Robert. "Smart lass ya got there ursine, I'd hang on to her if I were you. She's definately a keeper." Robert laughed and hugged Shannon. "Yep. Even if she can be more obnoxious then any five other people I know." Bear chuckled and turned to face the bartender. "You want me to tell them your real name?" The 'tender nodded. "The lass already has a guess, I'll wager, but I'll tell 'em meself." He stood up, straightened his jacket, and let the illusion drop. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Jackson Miles, Bartender of the Damned."
(1713/1667)
The Officer's mess was exactly that: A mess. The area was closed off via the standard bright yellow "DANGER: AREA CLOSED" tape, and beyond Robert could see why it was closed. The tables and chairs were still all smashed on one side, and there were various colored stains and smears on the walls, floor, and ceiling. In addition, the serving line was dented in a few places, and there was a dark red stain at one end which Robert was certain was blood. They quickly decided to go to the enlisted mess two levels up after ted had turned visibly white, and found a slightly happier scene: Not only was the hall open, but it was running at full steam. They gathered plates of food, and sat down at a table. Shannon dug right in, but robert was still looking at Ted, who was still pale. "What's wrong, sir?" Ted Shivered visibly. "I have an ability that few weres have, but is somewhat common amonst the visionaries in the magi guild: I can see the recent past, and what I saw downstairs is Not Pleasant." He pushed his tray away from him. Shannon looked at him and frowned. I think we need to go somewhere alone. Robert volunteered to carry the trays for everyone, and they made their way to Ted's office, which had survived the attack fully intact. They closed the door, he hit the privacy fields, and reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a flask. He took a slug from it, and cleared his throat.
"Before you start, Shannon, this is NOT booze. It's a potion that is designed to repress my vision ability. I normally carry it with me at all times, but this is the one time that I left it here. You saw the red stains on the serving line? Those were indeed blood stains, from a crewmemeber trying to get to a safe area. He was caught by the blast, and decompression did the rest." He took another, larger slug from the flask and continued. "I know that I should have come back here right away when I first stepped on board, but I figured I could hold off until I had some food first. I guess I was wrong." Shannon looked at time. "You poor thing." She got up, walked around the desk, and gave him a large hug. She gently took the flask from him as he started to sob. "My squad, my team-mates, MY FRIENDS died, and I could do NOTHING!" Robert looked at him. "Sir?" Ted indicated the datapad on his desk, which robert picked up. It was the casulty list for the Hillary. Almost all of Bravo Squadron was listed, except for the two members left sitting in Ted's office.
Shannon hugged Ted tighter, and she started whispering something. Ted looked at her suddenly in shock, and fell asleep instantly. "I cast a 'dreamless sleep' spell on him. We need some professionals here, and here fast before this gets ugly." Robert used the comm to call up to the wardroom. Stromson answered almost instantly. "Ted! What's up?" Robert coughed. "Sir, this is Corlo. Colonel Jackson needs some help. He saw the casulty list and he lost it. Shannon's got him sedated at the moment, but we need some professional help down here, and soon." Stromson made a grunting noise. "I'll get one of the consulers down there on the double. Was he drinking out of the flask he has too?" Shannon answered. "Yes sir. He drained it actually." Stromson answered immedately. "Damn. One of the dead was our potion maker, too. I think the gate to the Castle is still open. When the consuler gets there, I want the lot of you back over there. I'll get Tigra on the horn and let him know you four are returning. I have no idea if they have any potion makers over there right now, but they'll know who can make his special brew if anyone." The comm clicked off, and scant seconds later there was a knock on the door. Robert opened it, and saw a human female wearing a veil. "I take it the person in distress is the sleeping one?" Shannon nodded. "He's in a dreamless sleep. I thought it best to park him in one of those until you could get here." The veiled woman nodded. "He too heavy for me to carry easily. I've been instructed to bring him, and the two of you, back to the castle, and to bring the datapad with you, as that information is now public." In the end,Robert shifted to Bear form, and they draped Ted's sleeping form on top of Robert. They barely fit into the lift, but they managed to get up to the Third level and back into the castle were the Three were waiting for them. They got Ted to a room and laid him gently on the sofa.
Shannon had looked over the datapad, and was relieved to find that out of her section, there were no deaths. There were two serious injuries from the team she lead, and she decided to visit with them afterward Ted was in good hands. Robert and Bear talked for a bit about the potion that Ted had drank. Fortunately, there was enough left in the flask that the potion maker could determine what it was, and Bear said that he knew a potion maker down the road that could make this up. He turned and went down the stairs to the exit, leaving James and Tigra talking with the veiled human. Shortly, they both turned, and ushered Robert and Shannon out, closing the door after they left. "They need privacy at this stage" James had said. "In addition, Bear took the flask with him. I assume he's getting a potion maker?" Robert nodded, and shifted back to hybrid. "He said that he knew someone down the road that knew how to make it." James nodded. "Excellent. And now, The two of us need to talk to the two of you." They went into a second room, and closed the door.
"Shannon, I know you've read the report. Have you robert?" He shook his head. "I read the part that stated that my squad was obliterated, Sir. I did not get a chance to finish, though." Shannon handed the pad to him. "Read away, dear bear." She turned to Tigra. "WIll I need to perform any magic tomorrow that you can think of?" Tigra shook his head. "Nope. What'll you have?" Shannon's response. "Rum and coke, hold the coke." Robert had finished reading the summary. "Same here, only hold the rum. I think I drank enough last night." Shannon nodded. "Indeed." He loooked at the action reports for how his squad had died, and after a few minutes of reading he looked up. His eyes were blurry. "They died with honor and courage, at least." Shannon looked at him, and he explained. "They were the only squad that followed the Sh'Maa as it dived toword the remaining shivan battleship. They died defending her when the drones rushed them." Tigra nodded. "And they volunteered for it, knowing that it most likely suicide. They all received the highest award we have, the Gold Star and Claw, along with posthumous combat bonuses and double rank promotions." Robert nodded slowly. "I knew Anderhall very well, as we were in the academy togather. He jumped ranks due to his unorthodox tactics during our training. He was a gifted tactition and an ever more gifted fighter pilot." Robert looked up at Tigra and James. "He gave me the idea for the 'death blossom' manuver. he said that he had seen it out of an old movie once and he thought that the Buzzsaw platform would be ideal for it." Robert looked at the datapad again. "Yep, the last recorded acts of each of the AI was the death blossom. The ships simply didn't have enough armor or shield left to pull it off and survive against the straglers." Shannon hugged him as Robert put the datapad back down. At that point, there was knock on the door, and Bear walked in with a rather familar face in tow.
The Bartender of the Yankee Rose had a small case with him. He set it on the table as Robert looked on in shock. "Right, then!" Opening the case, he began pulling out flasks and bottles, while opening the latter. "The flasks are for Ted. Both have his 'poison' and should keep a while longer then the last flask." he handed everyone else a bottle. "The bottled are some mead I brewed up a couple days ago, and I reckon that y'all need a good belt. This one, however, is mage and were-safe. No more fizzles or stuck forms!" Robert took a swig of the mead. "This is... excellent mead, sir. My compliments." The bartender nodded. " It'll also cheer you up. Drink up and toast the fallen! Even the dead need to party!" He took a long swig out of the last bottle, and robert suddenly saw why he said what he did: Under the influence of the mead, Robert could see through the illusion, and he saw that the bartender was not quite alive. Robert stared at him, and the bartender caught him at it. "Yeah, I'm slightly on the dead side. It's a long story, don't ask. Let's just say that I'll be running the Yankee Rose for a very long time." Shannon chuckled. "The Bartender of the Damned. I thought I'd never see this day. Cheers matey!" The bartender looked at her, and winked at Robert. "Smart lass ya got there ursine, I'd hang on to her if I were you. She's definately a keeper." Robert laughed and hugged Shannon. "Yep. Even if she can be more obnoxious then any five other people I know." Bear chuckled and turned to face the bartender. "You want me to tell them your real name?" The 'tender nodded. "The lass already has a guess, I'll wager, but I'll tell 'em meself." He stood up, straightened his jacket, and let the illusion drop. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Jackson Miles, Bartender of the Damned."
(1713/1667)