Harris Saga Chapter 21
They are now about two kilometers away and closing. I can detect four humans on board and no active pokegirls. Ming Die’s message was tightbeamed to Devon. He quickly relayed her information over the radio to his harem. He could just make out the drone of the airship’s engines.
Rhiannon and Bellona waited at the docking tower to secure the airship while the rest of Devon’s harem was spread out through the nearby forest. Siobhan and Zelda were back at the base, ready to receive any prisoners that were taken, and incidentally ready to act as an ad hoc reserve should the wheels come off.
Devon glanced at the heavily overcast sky. It seemed that he was doomed to fight Team Viper in rain or at least the promise of rain. So far, however, the clouds had only threatened, although thunder rumbled in the distance and there was the occasional flash of lightning.
Several minutes later the airship swam into view. It throttled back its engines and lined up on the tower as it approached. It was larger than Devon had expected, easily the size of a commercial airliner. The whole thing was painted a nondescript gray, with the exception of the lime green intake cowling of the starboard engine.
Bellona flew up the tower as the airship’s nose approached. She attached the primary anchor as Rhiannon levitated up behind the airship to connect the rear anchor lines.
Devon keyed his radio. “Stage one, begin.”
Kathryn immediately responded from the treetop where she was hidden. “Target observed.”
Paulette answered slightly more slowly from the other side of the airship as she peered through her binoculars. “Seeking. Wait, target acquired. Holding.”
The engines of the airship powered down, the rotors appearing to slow and then rotate backwards as they spun down. The rope ladder dropped and tiny figures appeared in the doorway. They grabbed the ladder and started down slowly.
Devon watched as two men and a woman descended. That would be everyone. “Stage one, execute.”
Kathryn’s voice came back. “Target under observation.” That meant that she could see the pilot of the airship in the control cabin. He’d be completing the shutdown of the airship and setting up for the umbilicals to get hooked up.
“She is aboard. She has the target. She is gone.” Kathryn sounded excited. That told Devon that Paulette, who had been observing the pilot from the other side of the airship, had teleported into the control cabin and grabbed the pilot before teleporting back to the base prison with her hapless victim.
Devon waited. Zelda’s voice crackled in his ear. “First prisoner is secured. No pokeballs.”
Paulette appeared next to her Tamer, a wide grin on her face. “Stage one completed.”
Devon nodded and spoke. “Stage two, begin.”
Are you sure this is the best possible way?
“If I’m trying to take prisoners, I have to give them the chance to surrender.” He smiled slightly as the Team Viper personnel made it to the ground and looked around for their welcoming party. “I have to go.”
Be very careful. If Cameron suspects anything then this would be the time for them to spring their trap.
“I don’t think they suspect anything is wrong. If they did, they would have their pokegirls out.”
“We’ll be watching.” Paulette’s grin was gone now, and she merely looked expectant. “You be careful.”
Devon stepped into the tower’s clearing. He was wearing one of the hooded outfits that Zelda had found and had the hood up against possible rain. It also kept his distinctive hair hidden from the one man who could identify him. One of the figures waved and Cameron’s voice boomed across the clearing. “You are late! Hurry up and get over here!”
Devon waved back and kept walking. As he drew nearer he began to make out details. Cameron didn’t look like he’d been living the life one would expect from a kidnap victim. In fact he looked hale and hearty. The other man looked like he hailed from somewhere warm, his skin was swarthy and his hair was dark. The woman’s black hair and almond skin obviously derived from ancestry that had once walked the lands of the Edo continent. Everyone wore Team Viper uniforms.
When he was close enough, Devon dropped the hood. “Hello, father. I’ve come to rescue you. Apparently, however, I’ve discovered you don’t need a rescue, so instead I recommend that you surrender right now and save me the trouble of kicking your bloody arse up between your ears.”
Cameron turned white and then red. “How…What the hell is going on, boy?” He made a slight motion with his left hand and his companions began to spread out.
Devon sighed. “I’m only going to say this once more. Surrender. I want you to place your hands on your head and get on your knees. If you do this, I can promise you that no one will get hurt. I control the base and I’ve already taken your pilot as my prisoner.”
“You’re being stupid Devon.” Cameron’s voice was harsh. “Just like normal. You have no idea of what is going on here.”
“I agree that I’m being stupid.” Cameron frowned in surprise at his son’s admission. “But I agreed to try to take prisoners. If I’d had my way, you’d already be dead.” He grinned. “So, why don’t you surrender and no one will get hurt. Otherwise I can’t guarantee your safety.”
Cameron licked his lips and glanced at his personnel. “I don’t believe you. What you are saying is impossible. You couldn’t have taken the base, it was too well defended. And if you had, why then…”
Devon interrupted. “If I had, then I’d have some of the base’s pokegirls in my harem to let you think that everything was normal.” He pointed upwards. Cameron followed his hand to see Rhiannon hovering overhead. “Like her.”
Rhiannon grinned as Cameron paled. “Greetings Lord Crimson. My NEW Master is going to destroy you if you resist.” Her voice dropped to a purr. “Please do.”
Cameron glared at Devon, who could almost see the wheels turning in his head as Cameron thought frantically. “I will fight you if you can defeat my associates in pokegirl battles. If by some chance you actually win, I’ll surrender and tell you where your mother’s body lies.”
I still think that this is an extraordinarily bad idea. Cameron is trying to trick you. I can pull that information from his mind without your having to get hurt beforehand. Ming Die’s concern leaked through.
Devon responded, yes, but if I fight him this way, then it is much more likely that the battle won’t become some free-for-all in which he could be killed. While I had other plans on how to carry out his capture, this will work. If nothing else, when I’m losing spectacularly, I promise that I will call on you to join the fight. Can you defeat their pokegirls?
Ming Die gave the mental equivalent of a derisive snort. Of course I can. But it would be best for you to use some of the others first. If you are so determined to do this, then you might as well do it right.
Devon nodded. “I accept. One on one battles, substitutions allowed at any time. I must warn you, I have several pokegirls available. This is your last chance to surrender.”
The woman sneered. “Let me take him, Lord Crimson.” Cameron waved her ahead. “My name is Nyoko and you are going to lose to me.” She pulled a pokeball from her belt. “Chiaki, once more it is time for us to battle our way to victory.” A Growltit appeared.
Devon smiled. “Rhiannon, let’s do this.”
He looked at Cameron. “Can I trust you to officiate?”
His father grinned. “Begin.” His grin faltered as a power bolt slammed into the Growltit before he finished speaking. She lurched backwards.
“Chiaki flamethrower.” The Growltit blasted a column of flame at the Dark Lady, who killed her levitation momentarily to drop beneath it. Another power bolt pounded Chiaki as Rhiannon turned her levitation back on and grabbed for more altitude. An aura barrier shimmered into existence around her as she climbed.
Since Rhiannon seemed to have things under control, Devon was content to watch. However he was ready to take command of his Dark Lady in an instant if the situation changed.
“Chiaki, fire blast.”
“Rhiannon absorb!” The fire blast engulfed her and seemed to be sucked into her body to disappear. Another power bolt hammered Chiaki, who was starting to look a bit worn around the edges.
Nyoko looked unsure for the first time. Rhiannon took advantage of her hesitation to hit Chiaki again.
“Chiaki, fire blast.” Rhiannon used absorb again and climbed higher as she let loose another power bolt. The Growltit went to her knees and pulled herself back to her feet with an obvious effort.
Devon looked at Nyoko. “I suggest you yield to me.” She glared at him. “You can’t win this one. I can’t promise what will happen to you after this, but I won’t take her from you if you yield.”
Nyoko’s eyes dropped and she bowed to him. “I yield.” Devon looked up as she returned her Growltit to her pokeball.
“Rhiannon, enough.” She pulled up, the energy for another power bolt shimmering around her hand. It dissipated as she nodded.
She glared at Cameron. “MY Master is gracious in victory. I’d wonder what you would be like, but I won’t find out this day!”
Devon squelched a smile. He could almost hear Cameron grinding his teeth from here. Rhiannon had accidentally found the perfect way to taunt his father. He’d always been a sucker for the dramatic gesture and hated to be called on it.
The other man stepped forward. “I am Ignacio Castillo. You have insulted my leader and impugned the name of Team Viper. You will prepare to be defeated by me.” He pulled out his pokeball and released a Golbutt. She immediately took to the air as Cameron’s smile returned.
“Begin.”
Devon had intended to swap Rhiannon out with someone else, but apparently Cameron didn’t care to offer his son that opportunity.
Ignacio bellowed, “PRISSY MEGA DRAIN.”
Devon muttered into his radio. “Rhi, dodge left and power bolt again. Aim for the wings.” The Dark Lady almost dodged the attack and the air shimmered as the aura barrier blocked it before dissolving. Her power bolt appeared to have little effect on the Golbutt.
“Get your aura barrier back up.” Rhiannon complied but as the barrier reformed Prissy hit her with gust. Rhiannon was spun end over end and before she could recover the Golbutt smacked her with wingover. The Dark Lady staggered beneath the blows.
Cameron’s grin was ugly.
Prissy moved in to sink her teeth into Rhiannon, who replied by summoning her energy blade as the Golbutt neared. Both scored as they passed.
Rhiannon moaned into her radio and almost fell from the air before catching herself. “Master, I’ve been poisoned.”
Devon cursed and got out Rhiannon’s pokeball. “Rhiannon, you did a good job but it is now time to rest. Paulette, to me.” She burst out of the woods and landed in front of Devon as he put Rhiannon into her pokeball.
“Substitution,” he announced loudly. He waited a moment as Prissy changed direction and flew at Paulette, obviously ready to continue the battle. “Stand ready,” he muttered into the radio. Paulette nodded, her green hair shimmering in the sun.
“Now! Paulette use tectonic slam.” The Neo Iczel hammered the ground with both fists. Blast waves blew from the ground into the air directly into the attack path of the Golbutt, who flew through them but was obviously staggered by the unexpected attack. “Now you go and show her what real flying looks like. Energy blade and get the bitch.”
Paulette grinned and blasted straight at the Golbutt, her energy blade appearing as she moved. Prissy had no chance to attempt a dodge as the Neo Iczel’s strike ripped up the line of her back. She screeched in pain and went into an evasive dive in attempt to escape.
“PRISSY MEGA DRAIN!”
“Paulette magic fist and climb.”
Paulette shot straight up as her magic fist attack unerringly found its target. The Golbutt’s mega drain attack missed completely. Paulette hit her again. Prissy staggered in midair.
“PRISSY LICK!” The Golbutt zoomed at the Neo Iczel. Paulette summoned her energy blade again and moved to intercept. Her first cut removed the Golbutt’s tongue. Prissy screamed and folded up as Paulette backhanded the blade through her torso. She went completely limp and corkscrewed into the ground. Ignacio cursed loudly and put her into her ball.
Paulette came in for a landing in front of Devon as he smiled grimly at his father. “Next.”
Cameron grinned yet again. “I must admit that you’ve learned the rudiments of battling. It almost makes me wish your mother was still alive so that I could pit her against you and see what you would do.”
Paulette hissed angrily at Cameron as she readied herself for her next foe. “You’ll see what we can do when I smash your head open.”
Devon touched her shoulder. “Not you.”
She blinked and nodded and then she moved to stand next to her Tamer. “I’ve got your back in case he tries to pull something sneaky.”
“Him? Surely you jest. I’m the sneaky one.”
Cameron pulled out a pokeball and released a Whorizard. She spread her wings and screamed her rage at the sky as she appeared. “Wrath, meet my son. Devon, this is Wrath, your mother’s replacement.” She snorted fire into the air.
Devon smiled. “Hatsumi, I think Lord Crimson needs to see how a real tough pokegirl battles.” Next to him, Paulette muttered something unkind about Demon-Goddesses in general and Hatsumi in particular. Devon chose to ignore her comment for the moment.
Hatsumi blasted out of the trees where she’d been waiting and dropped down in front of Devon, bowing to him as she did so. Cameron and Devon both frowned. “Uh, the enemy pokegirl is behind you.”
“What pokegirl? You must mean fat pig. Hatsumi does not fear stupid flying pig.” The Whorizard screamed. Hatsumi turned to face her. “Red headed winged turd is all Hatsumi sees. No enemies.”
Wrath threw back her head and shrieked. She charged Hatsumi, a torrent of flame streaming from her nostrils in a flamethrower attack. Hatsumi flew straight at the Whorizard, dropping to only inches from the ground to fly under the fire attack. She accelerated at Wrath, only to pull up underneath the pokegirl’s muzzle and swing around behind her.
The Whorizard screeched to a halt as Hatsumi wrapped her legs around Wrath’s neck and began slapping her on the head and nose. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. You need learn fight before you take Hatsumi on.” She bailed off and zipped away as Wrath used ignite to cover her whole body with flame. “You are too slow, winged turd. Move fat ass faster if you want to try to hurt Hatsumi.”
Cameron was shrieking orders at his pokegirl, but Wrath was beyond control. She followed Hatsumi into the air, blasting at her again and again with flamethrower as the more agile pokegirl dodged, taunting her. “STUPID FLYING SHIT. HATSUMI NOT EAT, TOO STUPID. STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID! HATSUMI COULD PISS BETTER POKEGIRL THAN STUPID FLYING TURD GIRL! YOUR IGNORANT MASTER MUST HAVE FOUND YOU IN TOILET AFTER HE TAKE SHIT! HE KEEP YOU BECAUSE YOU TOO BIG TO FLUSH! POKEBALL THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP STINK OFF HIS HANDS!”
Wrath was beyond rage as she tried again and again to kill her tormenter, but she was unable to catch the faster and more agile Demon-Goddess.
Cameron wasn’t much better off as he screamed a mixture of orders and threats at his Whorizard and Devon. Wrath completely ignored his commands to continue pursuing the Hatsumi.
Finally Wrath scored with a fire blast, enveloping Hatsumi’s laughing form in a sea of fire. Cameron bellowed his joy.
When the flames cleared, Hatsumi was nowhere to be seen. The Whorizard twisted in midair, looking fruitlessly for her opponent.
“LOOK OUT.” Cameron’s warning came too late as the Demon-Goddess appeared above and behind the raging Whorizard.
Hatsumi’s right fist glowed with a brilliant blue light. She smashed the Whorizard with Iron Punch, catching her in the back of the head. The blow sent Wrath cartwheeling through the sky to slam heavily into the ground.
Hatsumi hit her with a dark bomb before she could struggle to her feet. Wrath was punched backwards by the blast. She skidded along the ground and finally came to rest in a cloud of dust, motionless as the falling dust settled on her supine form.
Devon turned to face his ashen father. “Well, do you have any more pokegirls, or shall you and I cross blades now?” He tapped the hilt of his katana where it jutted out from under his cloak.
Cameron smiled disdainfully and, reaching into a pouch on his belt, tossed a handful of marble sized objects into the air. “Here’s a present for you, you little shit.”
The pellets exploded one at a time in rapid succession, pummeling Devon with thunderous shockwaves and blinding flashes of light. He felt himself being jerked sideways and suddenly everything went black.
As Devon’s vision gradually returned he realized that he was lying prone, with a soft form lying on top of him. He stirred and Paulette raised herself up on her elbows. Devon realized she must have thrown him under her to protect him from the explosions.
He also realized that his face had been pressed into her bosom and felt his body suddenly react.
She looked down at him concernedly. “Are you all right?”
Devon grinned and kissed one of her breasts through the fabric of her blouse. “Nice tits.” He felt the nipple harden beneath his lips.
Paulette turned scarlet. “DEVON!”
Still grinning like a fool, Devon rolled Paulette off of him and stood. He grabbed Paulette’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Are you ok?” She nodded. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.”
She gave him a small smile. “It wasn’t you; it was the way I reacted to it. I don’t know why, but it made me want you. Isn’t that silly?”
He shook his head. “It’s a survival trait. Many people want to have sex right after they survive something that could have been lethal.”
“Do you feel that way?” Her look was hesitant.
Devon grinned. “Right now I’d love nothing more than to Tame you for a couple of hours, but we need to deal with Cameron first.”
Her smile was like the sun rising. “And then?”
“It’s a promise.” She beamed. Devon looked around the area. As he’d feared, neither Cameron nor Wrath was to be seen. Neither was Ignacio. Surprisingly, Nyoko was still present, picking herself up from the ground and rubbing her eyes.
“Hatsumi, Paulette, Kathryn, Bellona. Lord Crimson has fled. Start a basic search pattern and find him. The other male, Ignacio, has also disappeared and I want him too, but Crimson is the real prize. Ming Die, you’re with me. Siobhan, I need you here immediately.”
The Nogitsune’s voice came back over the radio as the selected pokegirls took to the air. “I’ll be there in less than a minute.”
Ming Die came jogging out of the forest to join Devon. Everyone remember, if either one of them has access to some potions, their pokegirls may no longer be unconscious. Presume that both of them are completely healed until you definitely know otherwise.
She glanced at Devon. I would never have suspected your father of having flash-bang grenades in his possession.
“Is that what they were? What do they do?”
Flash-bang grenades are military weapons from back during the time when there were organized armies. They were designed to use very bright lights and loud explosions to daze and traumatize enemy forces without harming them too badly. Primarily they were used in assaults where there were hostages to rescue or in other attacks where leveling the enemy’s stronghold proved to be impractical.
They haven’t been produced for centuries because they aren’t useful against all pokegirl types and there are no more armies. Those appeared to be of new manufacture. I wonder if Team Viper is making them or if they are getting them from one of the Leagues.
“I don’t care; I just don’t want to have to get hit with any more of them.” Devon rubbed his eyes. “Can you sense where Crimson is?”
No. I can no longer locate his mind. Ignacio is headed off to the north and I do not sense Prissy or Wrath.
Devon sighed. “I guess that would make sense.”
Oh?
“Lord Crimson must have had some way to keep his mind protected or else you or Poppet would most likely have tumbled to the fact of who he was working for some time ago.”
That would make the most sense. I wonder if his shield is magical in nature or technologically based. I would be happier if it were magical.
“Why?”
Magic is expensive and rare. I don’t like the idea of a cheap technological mental shield. It would be in common use very quickly.
“Ah.”
Siobhan appeared in front of Devon as she teleported to the battlefield. “What do you want me to do?”
“Can you track Lord Crimson?”
She nodded. “I’ll get right on it. Where was he standing?” She headed over to where Devon indicated and squatted to sniff the ground. She looked up and smiled. “I can track this. I’ll go ahead and report back as I go.” She followed Cameron’s scent into the jungle.
Devon spared the time to give Nyoko a puzzled look. “Why didn’t you run too, when you had the chance?”
She gave him a disgusted look back. “I surrendered to you. Until you release me, I can’t leave.”
Devon stared in surprise. Of all the things to run across in a Team Viper member, honor wasn’t something he’d considered. He nodded abruptly, accepting her statement at full value. “Can you help me?”
She shook her head. “No. I can’t hinder you or aid my former associates, but I can’t help you either.”
Devon glanced at Ming Die. Is she telling the truth?
Yes, but it would not do to tempt her until I can deeply probe her mind.
Devon handed Ming Die the pokeball that held Rhiannon. “Take Rhi and Nyoko back to the base. After you run Rhi through the PPHU, set Zelda as Nyoko’s guard and give Rhiannon instructions to watch the base.” He eyed Nyoko briefly. “Don’t lock her up.” Nyoko looked surprised. He shrugged. “I can either trust your parole or not, and if I do, then I should give you the respect that you deserve.”
“Thank you.” The brunette gave him a half bow.
“I want to run your Growltit through a healing cycle. Can I trust her to behave as well?”
Nyoko looked puzzled for a moment. “Ah, you are willing to trust me. Yes, she’s got a similar code of honor and will obey my wishes, even over Lord Crimson’s, should he make it to the base.” She looked around. “That isn’t very likely from what I see.”
“Done.” Devon looked at Ming Die. “As soon as you’ve given everyone their instructions, get back here right away.” Ming Die nodded and took Nyoko’s hand. They vanished.
Four minutes elapsed according to Devon’s watch before Ming Die returned. Everything is taken care of and I have given Rhiannon explicit instructions on giving Nyoko the run of the base, except for the com room and the basement. She has no business near the prison.
“That sounds good to me. Do you think I made a mistake with her?”
No. I spent some time in her mind before I came back. She’s safe where she is. Nyoko isn’t your friend, she believes too deeply in the things Team Viper stands for, but right now she won’t betray you. What are you going to do with her?
“I may just cut her lose. She’s an honorable woman and that sort of thing needs to be encouraged.” He gave her a sly grin. “Besides, a reputation for fairness might encourage more of my enemies to surrender. The ones I want to eliminate I just won’t let go.”
I suppose it couldn’t hurt. The Alaka-Wham’s head came up. Siobhan is in trouble. The two of them raced into the jungle.
When they found her, the Nogitsune was rolling around on the ground, whining and clawing at her face. Her chest heaved as she struggled to breath. A strange scent filled his nostrils as Devon rushed forward, only to be pulled to a halt by Ming Die. Do you smell peaches? She jerked at his arm suddenly. Back up right now. Devon quickly complied.
Siobhan flew towards them as Ming Die used telekinesis on her. There is some kind of a dispenser where she was. I suspect from her symptoms she has been dosed with Cyclosarin, a powerful nerve agent. I encountered it during the war. If she doesn’t get immediate medical care she will die. The PPHU will be able to treat this. Cameron is definitely getting this stuff from somewhere and it is there must be someone manufacturing it. I doubt the Cyclosarin would have a shelf life of three centuries and unlike the grenades, he couldn’t just replace the explosive charge.
“Shit.” Devon returned Siobhan and handed the pokeball to Ming Die. “Get back here as soon as you can.”
I will. Remember the location, but do not go near it. We are fortunate that while Cyclosarin is mildly persistent, it can be easily destroyed with fire. She disappeared as she teleported.
Deciding on the safest course of action, Devon returned to the clearing where the airship was docked. It was galling, but he wasn’t going to die now. Not when he was so close.
Ming Die reappeared. It is good to see you exercising some caution.
Devon gave her a glance. “Not even I am going to go wandering around if my father is dropping death traps as he goes. Since you can sense his presence, I want you to vector Kathryn in on Ignacio, but warn her to be careful in case he’s got that Golbutt back into some kind of fighting shape.”
I doubt that has happened.
Devon shrugged. “I would have by now and I don’t want to take any chances that he may have some potions.”
Your caution is commendable. I will warn Kathryn.
Devon sighed and looked around the clearing. “Now, I just need to figure out where Cameron has gone to.”
His radio clicked. A strong masculine voice said, “Bell, darling, vector left about ten degrees and resume your search pattern from there.”
“Very well, Master.” Bellona responded. “Darling, huh? I like that. Feel free to call me that any time.”
Devon stared at Ming Die. “What just happened? Who was that?”
I do not know. It is very strange. If I hadn’t been here I would have believed it was you talking.
“It sure as hell wasn’t me. There has to be someone new out there! See if you can locate them!” Devon checked his radio. “How the fuck did they get through my encryption?”
I’m looking now for anything unusual out there. There was a pause. That is unusual. There was some kind of psychic anomaly but it is gone now. I can’t sense any other thing that is out of the ordinary.
“I have a contact.” It was Bellona. “Target sighted. It’s Lord Crimson, I mean Cameron.”
Paulette sounded in his ear. “I see you, Bell, dahling. I’m on the way.”
There was laughter. “Sorry, Paul, but don’t call ever me that again.”
“My name is Paulette!”
Devon sighed. “Business first, ladies. Afterwards you can exchange kisses. Remember that I want Cameron alive and relatively unharmed.”
I have lost contact with Ignacio. I’m still vectoring Kathryn in on his last location. The way the contact was lost he may have been killed.
“Isn’t that just lovely? This is turning into one royal cock-up.” He growled in the back of his throat. “I really hope death is the reason you can’t find him.”
Someone growled over the radio. There were several minutes of silence during which Devon fidgeted before there was another transmission.
“Hatsumi, catch.” Devon stared at Ming Die.
“Hatsumi has him.”
“I remember saying I wanted him alive and unharmed, right?” Devon glared at some unoffending trees.
You said you wanted him relatively unharmed, Ming Die corrected him.
“Damn, you’re right.”
Of course I am. Her mind focus changed. It would be unwise to tease Cameron any more, Bellona. It is starting to worry Devon.
Bellona’s response was crisp, although not addressed to the Alaka-Wham. “You heard Ming Die. No more games.”
Devon had a thought. “Bell, send someone to help Kathryn.”
“Paulette, you heard the boss.”
“I’m on it.”
Kathryn’s voice came back. “I’ve got everything under control. I dinna need any help.”
Bellona replied almost immediately. “I don’t remember our master asking if you wanted help. He only ordered me to send it to you.”
Kathryn sounded sulky. “Aye, that he did.” There was a brief pause. “I can see ye, Paulette, look more towards yer right. Aye, right there.”
“I’m on my way.” There was moment of silence. “What the hell? How did this happen?”
“Look over there. I think she did it.”
Devon opened his mouth. Wait. Listen and see what they do. They need to learn to show more initiative. She gave him a smile.
“The last time they showed more initiative I ended up with Jennifer. Do you know what they are doing?”
No, but was acquiring Jennifer such a bad thing? Let’s wait and find out what is going to happen.
“Fine.”
Devon could suddenly make out the faint sound of screaming. He smiled grimly. “Sounds like Dad is on his way back. How nice of him.”
Kathryn’s voice came over the radio. “Devon, would ye be interested in capturing a feral Titodile? She appears to have killed Ignacio when he tried to wade through her stream. There is a lot of blood and some body parts.” There was a pause. “Yes, he is dead. I just found his upper torso. I’ve got his pokeball. What do ye want me to do about the Titodile?”
She could be useful. You need a water type.
“I’ve already got more than six pokegirls. I can’t keep them out all at the same time as it is and eventually I’m going to have to start putting them into real long term storage.”
She gave him an amused look. Do you realize that you have enough pokegirls with teleportation that you will always be able to return to a pokegirl center whenever you want to? Long terms storage for you will still not mean what it does for many other Tamers.
“Do you think I’m cheating by doing it that way?”
No, I think you are being creative. You do need a water type, especially since you do not expect to get Dima back.
He sighed. “I worry that somehow that is my fault. That if I’d tried harder, she’d have wanted to stay.”
She didn’t have the mental reference points to overcome the lure the sea had. It will be different from now on.
“Why is that?”
I know some mental techniques that will help your feral pokegirls to become more adapted to living in civilized life. I will use them if you want. And this pokegirl has never known the sea. She will be easier to deal with.
“Why didn’t you do that with Dima?”
Her heart was never really in the harem and deep down you knew that. By the time I formally joined the harem, you had already decided to let her go.
Devon capitulated. “Kate, I think catching her would be a good idea, but I’m a little busy right now. It’s going to have to wait.”
The screaming was getting louder.
“Nae, husband. Paulette and I’ll catch her for ye, if ye want. I’ve got a couple of empty pokeballs with me, so it won’t be nae trouble.”
Devon rubbed at his eyes. “Why do you have some of my pokeballs?”
“It’s me prerogative as Alpha to always be ready to help ye out. I’ve given two to everyone in the harem.” Kathryn’s voice was serene. “Leave it to us.”
Devon shook his head. “Do it.”
“Aye.”
Your father is almost here.
Devon squared his shoulders. “Well, we shouldn’t keep him waiting.”
Hatsumi hove into view, a screaming Cameron held dangling by one leg. Bellona held station nearby. The Demon-Goddess slowed to a hover and dropped Cameron when he was still a meter in the air. He dropped hard, still screaming a combination of rage and fear.
Bellona landed next to Devon as he squatted and looked at his father. “You lose.” He grinned. “Now under the rules of our pokegirl battle, I believe you are supposed to give me some information.”
“Like hell I will. You can just die wondering what happened.”
Devon smiled and looked up at Hatsumi. “He has some kind of psychic shield. It is either magical or technological in nature since I know my father never had the brains to generate one by himself. Can you tell if he’s got a magical shield?”
Hatsumi grinned. “Hai.” She floated over Cameron and looked him over. “He wears a ring that has some power that Hatsumi is unfamiliar with.” She looked at Devon apologetically. “Hatsumi has no formal training in magic. That is one of the reasons Hatsumi hoped that you would go to Vale for training.”
“My son will not be turning into one of those spellcasting freaks.” Cameron spat at Hatsumi. The Demon-Goddess just smiled.
Devon arched an eyebrow at his father. “While I’m not sure that you had any sort of veto power over my life before, I am fairly confident when I say that you don’t have any right now.”
He smiled as he stood. “Hatsumi, remove the ring. If he resists, remove the hand.”
“Hai.” Surprisingly enough, Cameron held still as Hatsumi ripped the ring from his finger and tossed it to Devon, who glanced at it briefly before slipping it into one of his pockets.
That was it. His mind is now unprotected. Ming Die sounded gleeful.
“Now, let me introduce you to someone whom you already know, but I’m fairly sure you were not aware that she had joined my harem. Ming Die?”
Cameron’s eyes bugged as the Alaka-Wham moved into view. Hello, Cameron I’ve been looking forward to the opportunity to do this for many years, ever since that night in 292.
“What the fuck is she doing here?”
Hatsumi dropped until she was hovering right over Cameron. She slapped him in the face. Blood spattered from his pulped lips. “Do not curse in front of Hatsumi’s master.”
Devon smothered a smile. “Hatsumi.” She moved to stand next to him. “Ming Die joined my harem before I hit Durness. That would be where I acquired the information that allowed me to get ahead of you.”
I was particularly intrigued by your statement that you saw that it would be necessary to have me purged. I got the impression you enjoyed my company, whether I enjoyed yours or not. Ming Die kneeled next to where Cameron still lay. He scrambled backwards and to his feet. The Alaka-Wham stood and followed. You will be happy to know that your son has decided to be more lenient. He’s not going to kill you.
I would not be so forgiving.
Now, where are the bodies of Beth and the rest of the harem? She paused. Do you honestly think that I cannot find the information that I want even when it is buried in that cesspool you call a mind? Ah.
She looked up at Devon. I am sorry, Devon, but he dropped the dead and injured members of his harem into the sea after he left Durness. When I match the timeline in his memories with the one in yours, your mother must have been one of the injured since her appearance coincides with the time that the harem was disposed of.
Hatsumi growled and Cameron turned white. Devon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly he lunged forward, his khukuri sweeping from its sheath. Bellona grabbed him, wrapping her arms and wings around him and pinning his arms as she lifted him from the ground. “No, husband, remember your promise!” Her arms tightened, driving the air from his lungs.
Devon struggled until his vision started to go black. He dropped he knife and gasped for air. Bellona relaxed enough to let him draw air into his lungs again, which he did with a rasping breath.
Bellona slowly put him down and Devon turned to face her. “I guess I should thank you. I don’t really want to though.”
She smiled. “It’s better this way. Did you really want to have to explain to Letitia how you broke your promise? Ming Die told me what was planned for him, and later you would have been eaten up with guilt over the fact that you gave him the freedom of death.”
“Maybe.” Devon sighed. “I would have been willing to take that chance.”
We would not.
“All right, you win.” He looked up as Kathryn and Paulette appeared over the treetops. Paulette circled around to land behind Devon as Kathryn eased down in front of him.
The Ladyien offered him two pokeballs. “Here is the Golbutt and the feral Titodile. We had to knock her out before capturing her.”
Devon tucked them into his backpack. “I’m sure I broke some rules when I let my pokegirls catch another pokegirl.”
Actually you did not. It is such a rare occurrence that the Leagues never made a ruling on the matter. They just never published the fact that it is legal.
“I stand corrected.” Devon looked around the clearing. “I think the immediate crisis is over, at least for the moment. Kathryn, I want you to take Cameron back and put him in an empty prison cell. Assign sufficient guards to ensure he stays quiet. Oh, and strip him beforehand. I don’t want him coming up with any more pre-Sukebe surprises.” He was suddenly aware of Paulette leaning against his back. “Everyone, get some rest. Tomorrow we are going to strip this base of everything valuable and load it onto the airship, unless Poppet wants the stuff left in place.”
“Ming Die, see if you can negotiate a good price for the airship and the base with Poppet. While it might not make a terrible place for us, I’d prefer to find or build something that Team Viper doesn’t know about.” She nodded.
I will visit her right away. I can also return the stolen pokegirls since we no longer need to keep them in case of inspectors.
“That sounds good. I’d recommend taking Kathryn with you. She’s turned out to be quite good at negotiations, so maybe she’ll help with Poppet. Ladies, I would like the best price we can get, but I’m not interested in drawing this out for very long. I would much rather return to the Blue Continent than stay here for another week.”
“Husband, where are ye going to be?”
Devon twined his fingers in Paulette’s. “I’ve got a promise to keep. If you have an emergency you can send Ming Die to get me. Otherwise, we’ll be back in a while.” He turned his head. “Do you remember the beach where I caught Rhiannon?”
She grinned. “I do.”
“Then why are we standing here?” They vanished.
Kathryn looked around. “You heard our husband. He said he wants to dismantle the base tomorrow. That means I want the base dismantled by tomorrow.”
She looked at Ming Die. “I won’t be settling for anything less than a fair price for the things we paid blood for. I dinna care how long it takes. However, it would be nice it we could wrap this up quickly.” She glanced at Cameron. “I know that Poppet wants to get her hands on him as soon as possible, so if we took him along to sweeten the pot, would she be willing to be more agreeable, seeing that as soon as she’s done she can start cutting bits off of him?”
Cameron blanched and turned to run, only to be knocked off of his feet by a casual swipe from Bellona. She put a foot on his back to hold him down as the others turned to look. “I’m fine. Finish making your plans. He’s not going anywhere.”
Kathryn grinned. “Aye, watch him. I remember the bastard. He was always trying to get with me mum and when she turned him down, he tried with me. If he speaks, feel free to gag him or knock him unconscious.”
“So, would she be more willing to meet our price?”
I think she would. Poppet is probably quite mad with Cameron, and bringing him along now would be more advantageous than if we wait until she gets a chance to cool off. Bringing the pokegirls will help. She smiled. I can also offer her the codes that Cameron used so that she can get the money back as well. We should be able to negotiate a reward for that as well. It is traditional after all.
“Mayhap we can just work out a straight percentage for that.” Kathryn answered thoughtfully. “Ten percent is standard. How much money are we talking about?”
The money transferred for Cameron’s ransom was four hundred million standard league credits.
Gasps sounded as the number sank in.
Ming Die grinned. We have the access codes that Cameron was going to use to transfer the money somewhere else. There is a distinct possibility that the account will have other funds in it. If so, then I see no reason why we cannot empty it entirely.
Bellona stirred. “I’d recommend dealing with the money separate and after the sale. That way there won’t be any confusion over the fair value of this stuff as opposed to us getting back this Poppet’s money.”
That is an excellent suggestion.
Kathryn clapped both sets of hands. “Ladies, lets be about doing our husband’s will.” There were several chuckles and the group headed back to the base, Hatsumi once again carrying Cameron by the leg. He tried to yell once, but Hatsumi merely dropped down and dragged his head across the ground until he got quiet.
***
The next day everyone worked quickly, even Paulette, although she frequently complained about pain from having been sunburned in delicate places. No one wanted to stay here any longer then they had to.
Hatsumi had gone to the Conservatory and picked up the team that was going to pilot the new Conservatory airship and its cargo as well as the portable docking tower back to Scotland.
Devon had been pleased when he’d heard that Cameron was already gone and that the negotiations had been finalized. The only surprising thing had been a request from Florence to cut back on the amount that he’d been donating to the orphanage.
“I don’t understand why?”
“The truth is that you’ve given me a great deal of money and I’m having a hard time finding places to spend it without just throwing it away. I’ve caught up on all of the past due bills and I’ve even started renovations on the orphanage. You are going to love it when you see how happy your money is making these girls.” She smiled. “I never thought I’d be in the position I’m in right now, money wise, and I want to be careful not to overdo it.”
“All I’m asking is that you cut back the amount you’ve been donating. Bellona mentioned that you’ve been sending me a straight percentage of your income. How much is it?”
“I’ve been giving you half.” Devon shrugged. “It seemed like you needed the money more than we did. I’d have given more, but we have expenses too and it never hurts to have a nest egg.”
“Spoken like the newest head of the Conservatory. I heard the news from Bellona, but there has already been a report on the local news. So, what really happened to Cameron Harris? I don’t buy this killed in a grav car accident story at all.”
“You know more than I do. I’ve been dealing with Team Viper, remember. I’m not even in the Blue Continent.”
“Bellona mentioned that. Where could you be that you aren’t getting this news, the Dark Continent?”
Devon just grinned.
“Oh my god! You are in the Dark Continent, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am. Fortunately my business here is almost done and I’ll be headed back either today or tomorrow. So how much do you want me to contribute?”
“Why don’t you cut back to one quarter? That should be enough, even if you make less money from now on. Trust me, if I need more, I’ll be calling you again.” She grinned. “Or I’ll include a request in one of my regular vids to you and the harem. Speaking of requests, I’d like to request a souvenir from the Dark Continent.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you. If you can’t find something to surprise me with, I would settle for something close to six feet tall with long blue hair and pretty face.”
“If we find a pokegirl like that I’ll be sure to catch her for you.” Devon’s voice was dry.
Flo stuck her tongue out at him. “Hurry back.”
“I’ve got some business first, but I’ll be by as soon as I can.” He cut the connection.
Bellona cocked her head. “She seems nice enough, but what is Letitia going to say about her?”
Devon sighed. “She knows. They happen to be sisters and Letitia set things up so I would get Flo pregnant too, which I have already done.”
“My, you are popular.”
Kathryn giggled. “You have no idea. We suspect that there is another woman out there who has already picked Devon to father a child for her.”
Devon turned red. “That’s not funny.”
“I’m sorry, Devon. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
Devon sighed. “I need to go check on the disassembly of the com room.” He headed upstairs.
Kathryn watched him go and then turned back to Bellona. “It’s the truth. Her name is Karen and she’s the gym leader in Belfast.”
“So, why does he deny it?”
“He believes that a human woman would have to be insane to want to breed with him, on account of his Tamer’s Disease.”
“That is pretty rare. I doubt most women would worry about it.”
In Devon’s case they should be. They turned together to look at Ming Die.
“Why do you say that?”
Any of his sons will have one chance in two of having Tamer’s Disease. Any of his daughters will have an unusually high libido for her species.
Kathryn gaped. “Does Devon know?”
I do not think so. I have not told him, and not many others are aware of the situation. However, since you intend to have children with him when the time comes, you need to know.
“I, I guess I do.” Kathryn replied in a quiet voice.
Ming Die gave her a small smile. In point of fact, everyone here needs to know because anyone in his harem may bear his children.
“Are you one of the ones that may bear his children?” Bellona gave Ming Die a shrewd look.
No. I am not one of the ones who may bear his children. I will bear his children, if he and I both live.
“Oh.”
***
Instead of going up to the com room, Devon went down to the basement. No one was on guard here anymore, since the pilot had been remanded over to the BLSF and the pokegirls had been returned to Poppet. As leads into Team Viper had been very thin, the Blue League Security Force was more than happy to take Roberto Gomez off of their hands.
He glanced into the room where the pokegirl storage had been and verified that the entire unit had been removed before slipping down the escape tunnel they’d used to enter the base.
Poppet had agreed with his recommendation to take anything of value and turn the building over to the local authorities. Team Viper knew of its existence, which made putting any Conservatory elements here problematic at best and disastrous at worst.
He found Nyoko, who he now knew was Fujioka Nyoko, wandering around near the base itself. Her Growltit, Chiaki, noticed him first. “Oh, it’s you.”
Nyoko looked up. “I figured you’d be along soon enough. You’ve taken care of almost everything else so soon you’d get to me.” She sighed and turned to Chiaki. “We’ve had a good time together and I’m going to miss you.”
Chiaki started to say something when Devon interrupted. “I think goodbyes are just a bit premature at this point.”
“What do you mean,” the Growltit growled. “They won’t let my Mistress keep me in prison.”
“No, but I don’t intend to send her to prison.” Nyoko whipped around to stare at him. “I don’t.”
“Then what is your plan?” The woman watched him carefully. “I’m not going to fuck you for my freedom.”
“While I don’t think that would be a very steep price, I’m not interested in sleeping with the unwilling when I’ve got a harem like mine.” He leaned against a tree. “I’m willing to offer you one transport for a woman and one pokegirl to Belfast. You are free to go on your way after that.”
“What is this going to cost me?” Nyoko looked wary.
“Us.”
“Excuse me?” Nyoko shared confused look with Chiaki.
“I said ‘us’. The cost is for both of you. Either the two of you agree or the deal is off.”
“If the deal is off, then what happens to us?”
“Why do you want to consider alternatives when you don’t know what the details of your first decision point happen to be? Why don’t you ask me what the cost for ‘us’ is, before we go discussing alternatives.”
Nyoko’s face set. “Fine. What is the cost for us?”
“That you swear an oath to never reveal what happened here. For public consumption, Cameron Harris died in a grav car crash north of the Conservatory. Lord Crimson died here. So I want you to swear an oath that Lord Crimson was not Cameron Harris. If you do that, then you are free to go.”
“But that would be lying.”
“So? I’m not asking to besmirch your honor. If you’d prefer I’ll accept an oath for you to only say you don’t know what happened to Lord Crimson and to never mention Cameron Harris at all. That would be the truth, since you don’t know what happened to Lord Crimson after you went to the base.”
He gave a grim smile. “Think carefully. During the battle, did you ever hear anyone refer to Lord Crimson as Cameron Harris?”
He watched the two of them think. Finally Nyoko shook her head. “No, but I did hear you refer to him as your father.”
“That just proves we knew each other and that we had some kind of relationship. Many forms of respectful address refer to the elder in the relationship as father and the junior as son. It does not prove that he was Cameron Harris or that he was my father. All you can honestly say is that you only heard him being referred to as Lord Crimson.”
He smiled. “I want you to swear only to reveal what you heard on the battlefield and nothing that was told to you afterward.”
Chiaki nodded. “I can do that. I’ll only say that I was sworn to secrecy about what happened after the battle. I won’t be able to say why, since that would break the secrecy and I would be forsworn. I can still honestly say I don’t know what happened to Lord Crimson.” She gave Devon a direct look. “May I refer them to you after that, since you would be holding my oath?”
“That is exactly what I want you to do.”
Nyoko took a while longer. Finally she nodded too. “I can swear an oath to that. It is, after all, only the truth.”
“Outstanding.” He frowned briefly as alternatives flashed through his mind. “Considering that Team Viper doesn’t exactly encourage honesty and ironbound integrity amongst its membership, why do you work for them?”
Nyoko shrugged. “We’ve both got criminal records from Edo and because we aren’t willing to lie when asked during the job interview, we never get hired. We tried just traveling, but we were getting harassed by the local police. So Team Viper was the only place we could work.”
“I see. May I ask as to what your crimes were?”
She looked thoughtfully at him for a moment. “I was sworn into the service of a business magnate and he ordered me to kill an enemy of his. I did it, and when the whole thing was discovered, he threw Chiaki and me to the wolves. We escaped and fled to the Blue Continent.”
“Why did you escape?”
“My lord ordered me to perform an action and I did so. He knew that the consequences could result in all of us going to jail. He should have been willing to take responsibility along with us, but instead he chose to break his oath to me, which released me from my oath to him.”
Devon made a mental note to be very careful in wording any oath he wanted them to take. “At this time the various Leagues don’t have any real extradition treaties with each other, so unless the Edo League chooses to send someone to try to apprehend you, then you should be allowed to work in Blue. Was the person you killed important enough for that to happen?”
“No, he wasn’t. He was a peasant who was blackmailing him. There wouldn’t have been any trouble over the killing if only a policeman hadn’t been dating him.”
He nodded absently still examining possibilities. “What if an honest job were offered to you?”
“That would depend on the job and the person offering it. I won’t work for just anyone if I have a choice.” Her mouth twisted sourly. “I didn’t have a choice with Team Viper.”
“What if I offered you a job?”
“Doing what?” She gave him a skeptical look. “You don’t appear to need anyone like us, considering you just eliminated the entire Team Viper presence in the Dark Continent. Besides, I’ve learned one important lesson since during my life and I won’t work for promises ever again.”
“Since Cameron’s mishap with the grav car, I am the head of the Conservatory.” Nyoko blinked at his words. “I can pay you a decent wage.”
“So what do you want us to do? Assuming, of course, that we agree to work for you.”
“Now that I am the head of the Conservatory, I need to be thinking more towards the future. I would like to swear you into my personal service and put you to work as bodyguards for a NurseJoy named Letitia.”
“Why?”
“She’s carrying my child and potentially my heir. Right now, my brother Tobias is my heir, but he’s got all of the protection he’ll ever need, so I want you to protect my child and its mother.” He sighed. “I’ll still need to find a bodyguard for Florence, but one thing at a time.”
“Who would take precedence in a situation where a decision had to be made?”
Devon hesitated and then made the decision. “My child. But I expect every effort to be made to protect Letitia as well.”
Nyoko considered this. “How much would you be paying us?”
“Seventy five thousand a year each.”
Chiaki looked startled. “Each?”
“Yes, but I expect you to act as a bodyguard in your own right, not as an adjunct to Nyoko. I also expect to take your oath as well.”
“I suppose that is fair enough. I do have one other question. What if the child is a girl?”
“Nothing changes. Pokegirls cannot legally inherit in the Blue League, but that appears to be slowly starting to change. In any case, Letitia may have more children, so she needs to be protected as does my daughter or son.” Devon closed his eyes briefly.
“Is something the matter?”
“I am still coming to terms with the idea that I’m going to be a father. Phrases like my son or my daughter are still hard to speak.” He opened his eyes. “Do you want the job?”
They looked at each other for a moment and then both turned to him and formally bowed. “Hai, tonosama.”
***
Kathryn looked up as Devon walked into the bedroom. “It looks like we won’t have any trouble meeting our scheduled departure time for the airship in the morning.”
“That’s good. Give me your computer.” Kathryn shrugged and gave him her handheld. Devon pulled his out and started transferring something to hers. “I’ve gotten a message that you need to see. Bellona probably needs to see it as well and you may decide that the entire harem needs to know. I’ll leave that call up to you.” He tossed her computer back to her.
“If you need me, I’m going to take Rhiannon and go into Wellham. You can reach me through her. I’m not yet sure when I’ll be back.”
“What are you going to do in Wellham?”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “Most likely I’m not going to do anything. I just need to walk for a while.” He waved and left.
Kathryn pulled her earpiece from her belt and slipped it on. “Bellona, would you please join me in the bedroom. There’s something Devon thinks we need to see.”
Bellona laughed. “I’ll bet he does, but I wasn’t aware you liked to share.”
“Just get in here.”
Her laughter stopped. “I’ll be right there.”
When Bellona came in, Kathryn was talking to Ming Die. “So just keep an eye on him. I know he went with Rhiannon, but while she’ll protect him from danger, she will also encourage him into getting into fights and I’m worried about his mood.”
We will keep an eye on them and make sure they stay out of trouble. The Alaka-Wham teleported out of the room.
“What is going on?”
Kathryn gave her an exasperated look. “Whenever Devon needs to really think about something he tends to go walking. He doesn’t ever do anything, he just wanders all over the landscape and his mind isn’t focused on his surroundings, so his guard has to pay extra special attention to what is going on.”
“Devon just went for a walk and he took Rhiannon along as a guard. I’m worried that she’ll be so busy playing up to him that she may not see trouble before it can’t be avoided. If they run across someone, her mouth may get Devon into a duel and he only took Rhiannon with him. Not my first choice, but it was his decision.”
“However, he neglected to tell me that I couldn’t assign him extra guards, so I’ve sent Ming Die and Paulette to watch over the both of them. They’ll make sure he remains safe, in spite of Rhiannon.”
She waved her computer. “He left some message that he received and says you and I need to see it. Apparently we’re also supposed to decide if the rest of the harem needs to see it as well.”
“Humph. I guess we need to watch it then.” The DragonQueen settled down next to Kathryn as she pulled up the message file.
Kathryn frowned. “It’s from Poppet.”
“So I finally get to see her, huh?”
Kathryn keyed the play button and the display changed.
Poppet was seated on a bench in the garden that lay behind the Conservatory. The leaf filtered sunlight dappled her modest dark blue dress and her golden hair artfully spilled over her shoulder and down her side to pool on the bench next to her. Her nails were perfect and her horn gleamed.
“Good day, Devon. Since this is our first formal communication since you became the Chairman of the Conservatory, I thought you might appreciate it if I were a bit more formal than usual.” She paused to smooth her skirt. “First of all, I want you to know that I sincerely appreciate your help in weathering this latest assault on the Conservatory and I very much hope that this will set the tenor of your administration in the many years to come.”
“As you are aware, I have fulfilled the function of Managing Director since the Conservatory first opened its doors centuries ago, and I look forward to continuing on under your leadership. I have watched the various Chairmen over the years and I must admit that your predecessor didn’t exactly excel in his role here. In fact, he neglected his duties to a substantial degree and I am pleased to be able to say that I know that you are cut from a different cloth.”
“I realize that you probably still have several years left in your Tamer’s Journey and that the day to day operations of the Conservatory are not likely to be high on your list of priorities, but you may be assured that I am more than willing to step in and manage the Conservatory as it travels in the direction that you choose with all of the vigor that I have displayed over the centuries.” She smiled.
“Still, there will be some paperwork that will have to be sent to you on a regular basis, no matter where you happen to be. I’m afraid that the Blue League, as well as most of the rest of the world, is uncomfortable with the idea of a pokegirl running a multi-billion credit Pokeranch and therefore you will have to review and sign a good many documents to ensure our smooth operation, unless of course you choose to designate me as a signatory. Doing so would remove a great deal of weight from your shoulders and while I wouldn’t be willing to take up the extra work for just anyone, in your case I would be willing to make an exception.”
“For three hundred years, the Harris Conservatory has been dedicated to the continuation and improvement of all of the various lines of rare pokegirls and I suspect that a new golden age is about to dawn as you join me at the helm.”
“Unfortunately, I have to send a whole pile of documents along with this message, as your predecessor left us rather suddenly and we need to get you up to speed as soon as possible to assure a smooth transition for everyone here at the Conservatory. Most of them just need to be reviewed and signed before you return them to me.” Dimples appeared on her cheeks. “You can trust that I’ve already read the papers I’m sending you and that any necessary modifications have already been taken care of. I am exceedingly efficient and, if you will allow me to help, I can substantially reduce the amount of time you’ll have to spend reading legalese instead of taking care of other business. If you insist, I can send you the raw documents, but honestly, Devon, you would spend nearly the whole of every day reading them. There is no reason for that, since you have an able assistant in me.”
She took a deep breath. “On a personal note, I am hopeful that you and I will get along much more successfully than your predecessor and I did. There are a number of perks associated with your position and you’ll need to drop by as soon as you can so that we can work out the details of your pay as well as the other incidentals.”
“I have been following your activities with great interest and a good deal of pride so it was very easy for me to make what could have been a very difficult decision, considering that the some of the traditions of the Conservatory have been unchanged since its inception. However I realize that change is the only constant and that I must make allowances for the traditions that you seem to feel are important to you. Therefore, while normally out of the question, and while I must caution you that I would have to remain Poppet to the rest of the world, if you are determined as far as changing my name, I am sure we can work something out.”
“I look forward to your reply, Devon.” She smiled broadly. “For now, at least, I remain Poppet.”
The message ended.
Bellona became aware of a growling sound. It was Kathryn. “We will just see about that won’t we? I hope she isn’t so stupid as to actually think he would be taken in by that tripe.” She paused. “Actually, I do. No, that is too much to hope for. No one could be that dumb.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Poppet’s message, of course. The first part really only affects Devon, depending on whether or not he will let Poppet continue to run the Conservatory without his input. ‘I’m willing to make the extra effort just for you’, indeed! I really enjoyed her implied threat about burying him in paperwork if he gives her any objections.”
She sighed. “What really pisses me off is the last part.”
“What is wrong with it? It sounds like Poppet is trying to be conciliatory towards the new Chairman.” She frowned. “I don’t have your total recall, so what did I miss?”
“She wants him to go to the Conservatory right away to ‘work things out’. And she made reference to Devon changing her name.”
“Is that significant?”
“It means that she expects to join the harem.” She sighed. “I really wish Tess was here, so I could watch her explode. I’m expected to keep my cool about the whole thing. Poor Devon.” She turned to look at Bellona. “I think he hates her.”
“I wasn’t aware of that.”
“I’m not sure if even Devon is aware of his feelings for Poppet. I have never heard him talk about her, but I’ve also never seen him react positively to her presence or even her mention and yet she has been a part of his entire life.”
“What can we do?”
“All we can do is support him.” She shrugged with both sets of arms. “Although I suspect we should be planning to execute Poppet if she joins the harem.”
Bellona gave Kathryn an amused look. “I think you aren’t considering something, since you cannot forget.”
“And what would that be?”
“You do have a source of information as to what actually could be coming, at least as far as Poppet is concerned. She may also be willing to help protect the harem against any problems with Poppet, should it come to that.”
“Who are ye talking about?”
“Ming Die.”
***
Epilogue
We need to talk.
Poppet looked up from the papers she was reading. “Ming Die. It is good to see that you haven’t forgotten where the Conservatory is. Where is Devon?”
He is still in the Dark Continent.
“Oh? So why are you here?”
I have seen your message to him and although I am not completely sure that this is the right thing to do, I am trying to save your life.
That caught Poppet’s attention. “Who is trying to kill me?”
You are going to kill yourself.
“I don’t understand.”
That is hardly a new occurrence for you.
“I don’t think I like your tone.” She blinked. “Even if it is the first tone I’ve ever heard from you.”
Sometimes you are a little slow, so I will be blunt. If you join the harem, Devon will kill you. If he does not, his harem is planning to kill you. Should they choose not to, I will kill you. And I will not change my mind.
“You would dare to threaten my life? Here?” Poppet’s voice was starting to rise. “No one speaks to me this way. You, of all people, should know better.”
Indeed. That alone should make you think very carefully. I, one of the few who know all of your secrets, am telling you that if you force your way into Devon’s harem you will die. This is not a threat. It is a statement of fact. She shook her head slowly. I know everything about you and yet you know almost nothing about me. The fact that I stymied your efforts to learn about me for three hundred years should give you some caution. If not, then your vaunted intelligence has truly fled as a result of your obsessions with creating the perfect Harris male.
“I know everything I need to know about you.” A slight look of concern crossed the Unicorn’s face.
Oh, they heard your alert. However they appear to have forgotten that it ever took place and have returned to their posts. Fancy that.
The color began to slowly drain from Poppet’s face.
I have decided that it is time for some explanations in the hope that some information will keep you from reacting badly. I do not want to kill you. However, if you continue to interfere in my plans I will kill you. At this point, even killing me would not save your life if you persist in pursuing Devon against his will.
My sisters wanted me to kill you since I came here to find you squatting on the one laboratory that would allow us to attain our goal. I decided that killing you would cause too much attention to be drawn here and convinced my sisters that I could work even in spite of your presence. Even though I sometimes had to work around both you and your asinine ideas about genetic engineering, I still managed to succeed for the both of us.
Keep Tobias for yourself. He is everything that you wanted and almost exactly what you need. When he is of age he will be able to provide you with Jamie’s children. I would caution you to change your methods of rearing, however. Devon has an almost pathological dislike of you stemming directly from the way you let all of the other pokegirls here beat him whenever they decided that he’d stepped out of line. Since each of them had a different idea of what rules to enforce, he grew up extremely confused since there was no way he could do anything right for everyone.
Tobias will have as many issues if you do not change the way you do things here and promptly.
However, if you persist in pursuing Devon I will kill you in such a way that they will remember your death for far longer than you have been alive. Devon is mine. She cocked her head, one antennae twitching slightly. I have changed my mind. If you choose to court Devon I will allow your attempts to proceed.
“So gracious. Why the sudden change of heart?”
I don’t want Devon to know I visited you and it would amuse me to watch you try to get something without being able to just take it.
“What am I to do for a Tamer in the meantime? Tobias is still too young.”
Choose a lover from among the staff or the breeding stock. Or you could just suffer. I meant what I said about Devon. If you try to force him into anything against his will, I will kill you. If you try to control his mind through intermediaries, I will kill you. If you try to woo Devon, then I will merely observe.
There is one other thing you might wish to consider.
“What is that?”
Devon was serious about all of the members of his entire harem going into pokeballs. Even Letitia and Florence will be bonded into pokeballs once they deliver and Devon will keep them. It is a reasonable expectation as he is on his Tamer’s Journey and to have bonded pokegirls not in pokeballs could be used against him at tournaments. He is unlikely to change this policy for you even if you do manage to worm your way into his heart.
“I see.”
Devon is going to receive a call from a member of the Blue League tomorrow for a messenger mission and will be diverted to the Sunshine League for a brief period of time. Process his paperwork for the Chairmanship without him. Oh, and give him a raise.
“I would think that the current salary would prove sufficient for his age and spending activity.”
Then I will embezzle the funds necessary to make up the shortfall between Cameron’s old pay and Devon’s, leaving you to deal with the financial irregularities.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
The Alaka-Wham merely looked intently into her eyes for a moment. Poppet finally looked away. “I’ll take care of it.”
In return, I will encourage Devon to change his current mindset and allow you your normal level of control here. Good luck with Tobias and with pursuing Devon, should you choose to do so. Turning, she left the room.
Name: Harris, Devon Jamie
Age: 15
Residence: Highland County, Blue Continent
Region: Scotland
Status: Active
Rank: 40
Security Clearance: Theta
Licenses
Tamer Y
Master Tamer Y
Researcher N
Watcher N
Breeder Y
Active Harem
Name Species Level
1 Hatsumi Demon-Goddess (Hunter) Steel/Magic/Dark 87
2 Bellona DragonQueen Dragon/Dark 46
3 Rhiannon Dark Lady Magic (Infernal) 42
4 Paulette Neo-Iczel Magic 40
5 Kathryn Ladyien Bug/Flying 32
6 Ming Die Alaka-Wham Psychic UU
Alpha: Kathryn
Beta: Bellona
Not at final battle
7 Zelda Pia Electric 21
8 Siobhan Nogitsune Dark/Magic 35