starting point.”
“The opening of the labyrinth,” Mgurn said and nodded sagely.
“Exactly,” I said and snapped my fingers. “Once I know what I’m salvaging then the artifact should point me in the general direction just like it is supposed to.”
“I must apologize, Joe,” Mgurn said. “I should have realized this as well. I have failed you as an assistant.”
“Nah, it’s all good, buddy,” I said.
Once the realization that I needed to approach the problem just like I’d approach any Salvage Merc One problem hit me, a considerable amount of my building rage just seemed to dissipate. It didn’t leave completely, but it was no longer forcing its way to the surface of my mind.
“I’m sorry that I have been a huge dick,” I said. “I know I can be a pain in the ass, but all this anger and grrrr I have been feeling isn’t who I am. I may be Salvage Merc One, but I’m also Joe Laribeau. And Joe Laribeau is a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. He’s not a hate-his-best-friend kind of guy.”
“Best friend?” Mgurn asked. “Joe, that is such a nice thing to say.”
“Hey, it’s true, buddy,” I said. “I’d be a lost soul without you around…”
I froze. I didn’t move, twitch, think, do anything. The answer was right there, and I was terrified that I was going to scare it away.
“Joe?” Mgurn asked.
“Shhh,” I said and held up a hand. The revelation almost slipped away from me, but I forced myself to clarify and my mind snatched it back. “Lost soul.”
“What?” Mgurn asked.
“Lost soul,” I said. “That’s what I’m supposed to salvage. Alya Horne had the artifact in her. For whatever freaky reason, when she was supposed to transition into Boss Five—”
“Boss Four,” Mgurn corrected.
“Boss Four, right,” I said. “When she was supposed to transition into that, things went bad, and instead of becoming a Boss, she was turned into Naked Snake Lady. That is messed up in so many ways, but most of all, it meant her soul didn’t transition the way it was supposed to. The Bosses are dead, we know that, so what are we interacting with every time we meet with them?”
“The physical manifestations of their souls,” Mgurn replied.
“Bingo!” I cried out and snapped my fingers at him. He jumped a little. “Sorry. But, yeah, that is totally right. The physical manifestations of their souls. But Alya Horne’s soul never got to manifest that way. Her soul was lost. Forced to become some semi-erotic monster.”
“Semi-erotic?” Mgurn asked.
“You had to see her,” I said. “Yes, there was the snake part, but there was also the naked lady part. Boobies and all that.”
Mgurn sighed. “I will never understand why some of the races are so fixated on mammary glands. Leforians are not affected the same way humans are.”
“That can be good and bad,” I said and shrugged.
“So you need to salvage her lost soul?” Mgurn asked.
“I need to salvage her lost soul,” I agreed.
My body went rigid, and I gasped. My quarters disappeared, and the images of a hundred star systems rushed through me at light speed. It was as if I was navigating trans-space, but without being inside a ship. I was getting my Salvage Merc One on.
Everything slowed, and a system coalesced before me. I could see a multitude of planets orbiting a single, massive, bright red star. The planets were of various sizes and colors, but all were in perfect synch with the star. No strange elliptical orbits. They rotated around that big red ball of fire in an obvious order.
Then, bam!, I was back in my quarters.
“Joe? What did you see?” Mgurn asked.
“I know where to start,” I said. “AI?”
“Yes, Salvage Merc One?” the AI responded.
“I need to you to find a system for me,” I said and described exactly what I saw.
“A system with a giant red star and all of its planets in perfectly synchronic order is easy to narrow down,” the AI replied. “You are looking for the Daedalus
“The opening of the labyrinth,” Mgurn said and nodded sagely.
“Exactly,” I said and snapped my fingers. “Once I know what I’m salvaging then the artifact should point me in the general direction just like it is supposed to.”
“I must apologize, Joe,” Mgurn said. “I should have realized this as well. I have failed you as an assistant.”
“Nah, it’s all good, buddy,” I said.
Once the realization that I needed to approach the problem just like I’d approach any Salvage Merc One problem hit me, a considerable amount of my building rage just seemed to dissipate. It didn’t leave completely, but it was no longer forcing its way to the surface of my mind.
“I’m sorry that I have been a huge dick,” I said. “I know I can be a pain in the ass, but all this anger and grrrr I have been feeling isn’t who I am. I may be Salvage Merc One, but I’m also Joe Laribeau. And Joe Laribeau is a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. He’s not a hate-his-best-friend kind of guy.”
“Best friend?” Mgurn asked. “Joe, that is such a nice thing to say.”
“Hey, it’s true, buddy,” I said. “I’d be a lost soul without you around…”
I froze. I didn’t move, twitch, think, do anything. The answer was right there, and I was terrified that I was going to scare it away.
“Joe?” Mgurn asked.
“Shhh,” I said and held up a hand. The revelation almost slipped away from me, but I forced myself to clarify and my mind snatched it back. “Lost soul.”
“What?” Mgurn asked.
“Lost soul,” I said. “That’s what I’m supposed to salvage. Alya Horne had the artifact in her. For whatever freaky reason, when she was supposed to transition into Boss Five—”
“Boss Four,” Mgurn corrected.
“Boss Four, right,” I said. “When she was supposed to transition into that, things went bad, and instead of becoming a Boss, she was turned into Naked Snake Lady. That is messed up in so many ways, but most of all, it meant her soul didn’t transition the way it was supposed to. The Bosses are dead, we know that, so what are we interacting with every time we meet with them?”
“The physical manifestations of their souls,” Mgurn replied.
“Bingo!” I cried out and snapped my fingers at him. He jumped a little. “Sorry. But, yeah, that is totally right. The physical manifestations of their souls. But Alya Horne’s soul never got to manifest that way. Her soul was lost. Forced to become some semi-erotic monster.”
“Semi-erotic?” Mgurn asked.
“You had to see her,” I said. “Yes, there was the snake part, but there was also the naked lady part. Boobies and all that.”
Mgurn sighed. “I will never understand why some of the races are so fixated on mammary glands. Leforians are not affected the same way humans are.”
“That can be good and bad,” I said and shrugged.
“So you need to salvage her lost soul?” Mgurn asked.
“I need to salvage her lost soul,” I agreed.
My body went rigid, and I gasped. My quarters disappeared, and the images of a hundred star systems rushed through me at light speed. It was as if I was navigating trans-space, but without being inside a ship. I was getting my Salvage Merc One on.
Everything slowed, and a system coalesced before me. I could see a multitude of planets orbiting a single, massive, bright red star. The planets were of various sizes and colors, but all were in perfect synch with the star. No strange elliptical orbits. They rotated around that big red ball of fire in an obvious order.
Then, bam!, I was back in my quarters.
“Joe? What did you see?” Mgurn asked.
“I know where to start,” I said. “AI?”
“Yes, Salvage Merc One?” the AI responded.
“I need to you to find a system for me,” I said and described exactly what I saw.
“A system with a giant red star and all of its planets in perfectly synchronic order is easy to narrow down,” the AI replied. “You are looking for the Daedalus
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