“I’ll go.” Agent Brzko and the Muse of Mischief are sitting at the front windows in their home overlooking the Pacific Ocean on Earth. But they can’t see the ocean today; the rain is coming down sideways and pelting against the windows.
“Are you sure you want to go alone?”
“Sure, Ferocity will be with me and it won’t take too long. Besides, I know Emperor Bartala is eagerly awaiting you. I could hear how excited he was, it sounded like he was talking really fast. You should be there for him and Empress Nalau.”
“OK Brzko, if you’re comfortable with meeting with King Plyke and Queen Eyjdra alone I’ll take you up on your offer.”
“I’ll be fine. Besides, I dive better than you do.” He turns to her and grins.
“Yes you do. Where did you learn to dive like that?”
“I don’t know, it’s like I just knew how to do it. What I want to know is where did you learn to dive with a rebreather? Was it on Gaznzul?”
“Yep.”
“That’s it? Yep?”
M smiles at her partner. “OK, OK, I’ll tell you about my time on Gaznzul. But not here. Let’s go back to where we first met – 5/27/12.”
“Great idea!” Brzko said and he stands up grabbing their coats and hats, handing hers to her. Then he takes her hand, and they’re gone.
The first time they actually met was at the mouth of the D River in Lincoln City, Oregon, May 27, 1912. This is their special place, a place where they can just chill out with no one around. There were very few people along the Oregon Coast in 1912.
In this time there were several large boulders at the mouth of the river, and there was no Highway 101 across the river so it hadn’t been altered to run under a bridge yet. They climb up on the boulders, looking out at the ocean.
“So you went to Gaznzul with Zri after he came to Earth to find you, which was after you almost killed Bartala with a Haplogawa on Chyke 2C95?” He says teasing her, knowing he will get a feisty reaction from her.
“I didn’t almost get him killed! I could have moved him in time to avoid being eaten, but c’mon you know him well enough to know that he sometimes deserves a little excitement that’s beyond his control. Especially when he was an adolescent.” She turns and looks at him, and realizes he’s been just ribbing her to get a reaction.
“Oh, I see how you are Brzko! Uh huh OK. So yes, when Zri came to Earth to find out what I was, he was shocked at how strong I was and that I could defend myself. I was pissed that I couldn’t take him down, he looked like any other human and at that point I already knew I wasn’t human and that I could overpower most of them. As soon as he explained that he was Gaznzulian and that they are reflective, that I was only seeing a projection, I was really intrigued. You know I took Zri up on the offer to help me train to better defend myself. We left right away. Physical training is part of the education process that all Gaznzulians go through, but when alone they don’t always generate reflections – they are in their true forms. Zri got hit with some serious attitude for bringing an alien into the inner-circle. One of his mentors, a member of their ruling council, understood his motivation and what he was trying to do. He was able to convince the council that my training was necessary. As a being that doesn’t know what she is, I had the potential to become a destructive force. It was better for them to allow me in, and offer training – and no doubt test me – than to allow me to advance on my own. He assured them that I could be trusted to never speak of my time on Gaznzul. It was so important to them that I’ve always honored their privacy and just don’t speak about it.”
“So you haven’t just seen Zri in his natural state, you’ve seen all the Gaznzulians in their natural state? Wow! I had no idea.”
“Well not ALL of them, but many of them. I lived with them, trained with them, after a while I was accepted as one of them. It was a long time ago and I was pretty young at the time. After I learned some self defense and tactical skills I just went back to my regular life and didn’t really dwell on it.”
“So that’s what bonded you and Zri, he let you into the inner-circle of Gaznzul, he let you see them as they are. That seems like a serious honor M, I’ve never heard of them exposing themselves like that. Not with anyone.”
“It bonded me to all Gaznzulians, but especially Zri. After getting to know me they realized I was going to devote my life to helping and protecting others, and they wanted to be a part of that, because that’s their main focus too. And yeah, it was an honor and it taught me so much. Not just how to fight off an attacker, or how to subdue a loser like the Brusher, but it taught me about myself and how to push myself past what I think my limits are.”
“So there was underwater training?”
“Yep, and high altitude, and extreme heat, and extreme cold, and low gravity, and dense gravity. Their training methods put me in different environments to practice once I had the basics of self defense mastered. It was the same training they put themselves through.”
“No wonder you can kick ass like you do.” He grins at her.
“Ha! Yes, that’s how I learned to focus my strength and energy, how to pay attention to and trust my instincts. And like you said earlier, it’s what bonded Zri and I – he put his reputation on the line to give me access to his culture. I know some Gaznzulian’s assumed that I would violate their privacy and expose the things they keep private; but of course I have integrity and Zri knew it. I’m really grateful to him, as a frustrated adolescent with superhuman strength, without guidance, I could have ended up in a bad situation. And like you, I certainly wasn’t going to get that guidance from the pretend parents. After their experience with me, the Gaznzulians realized it could benefit them to provide training to others. So they set up training facilities – but since they now use specialized facilities, the privacy of the individual Gaznzulians is protecteded. In other words, the trainees don’t get to mingle with Gaznulians in their natural state.”
“That explains why the Gaznzulians are always so quick to respond whenever we need something. They think of you as one of them… in a way.”
“Sort of I guess. I think at first they were just keeping an eye on me. But now they realize that we’re all working for the same thing.”
“So I have a Dragon and you have a Trelod and all of the Gaznzulians, I never thought we’d end up like this when we met.” Brzko said, taking her hand.
“Neither did I, but it’s awesome and I wouldn’t change a thing Brzko. You were so adorable when we met, leaving me notes back here in 1912. But…”
“I know, it’s time to go. I’m going back to now before Ferocity and I head to Utkrora, are you heading straight to Ploosnar?”
“No, since this is an official Ploosnarian event I want to be dressed appropriately. I’ll go home with you.”
And they did, back to their home, back to their current time.
Brzko reaches for Ferocity while M goes to change. “Ferocity, how long will it take for you to get to Utkrora.”
“Less than an hour.”
“OK, head out when you can and let me know when you’re there. I need to update King Plyke and Queen Eyjdra.”
“Understood.”
Brzko activates his earcom link, “Lelelu, are you on?”
“Yes, I’ve got you Brzko.”
“Please contact Nyeeq’r and let him know I’ll be there in about an hour. I have an update for the King and Queen.”
“Will do.”
M walks out of the back hallway, she’s wearing a new design from Schatorren. Her legs are covered in a black spandex looking fabric with a purple stripe running down the outside of each leg. Over that she wears a skirt of sorts, it is triangular, opening in the front, so it really only hangs down on the sides and in the back. The shirt she wears is black with a fantastic purple paisley pattern.
“Damn! Is that new?”
“Yes, I’ve been keeping Kilome busy.”
“Well keep it up! That is a kickass outfit.”
She grabs her hat and coat, kisses the love of her life, and is on her way to Ploosnar.
The Muse of Mischief 