Chapter 49

Early the next day, Callum climbed into the cockpit of Angra Mainyu and slid down into the PFC liquid. Carmen had sought him out at the party and told them the match would be held the next morning. Wu must have been eager. 'He really doesn't fear us at all. How powerful is he?' Valencia slid in right behind him. When their minds touched, he felt contentment and satisfaction and love from her. Callum instinctively closed his own mind as best he could and felt a swiftly smothered spike of anxiety. 'Sorry,' he thought at her, 'just habit.' He opened up but also did his best to keep his mind on Wu and the upcoming fight. He wished he and Valencia had been given more time to practice together. They hadn't been in a battle, mock or otherwise, since Ragrun.

Callum reached out and took the control handles of Angra Mainyu. His consciousness seemed to shift and the next moment he was starting out of the eyes of the eighteen meter high war machine. When he stepped forward, the mech moved as easily as if he were stepping forward with his own foot. The dimensions were off, which always took a bit to adjust to, but soon Callum felt as at home as he did in his own body.

He heard echoing steps and turned to see Mikan stalking her own mech forward. She moved the giant machine with such fluid grace, it was hard to believe she had only been piloting her mech for a few months. 'She really is impressive.' The thought was Valencia's but it just as easily could have been his own. Though there was some bitterness in Valencia's thoughts that weren't in his own.

"Cosmos, can you set up a private link between me and Mikan's mech?"

"Affirmative," the cool virtual voice of the mech's VI responded. "Connected."

"Mikan, are you ready for this?"

"Um, I-I'll do my best."

She didn't sound good. "Are you alright?"

"I woke up feeling kind of sick."

"I can understand that." Even as he said it, Valencia furiously thought, 'She's sick because she drank too much alcohol last night!' Callum thought back and did remember Mikan seeming unsteady on her feet and flushed at the end of the night.

'I thought she was just tired.'

'Idiot.' The thought wasn't completely unkind.

"Well, let's just do our best," Callum said aloud.

"Right…" Callum didn't sense a lot of confidence coming from her but tried to shrug it off. Mikan always seemed like that but her actions were usually bold. It was kind of a strange dichotomy.

He rumbled his mech to the end of the bay and leapt out into space. Valencia took over then, activating the thrusters of Angra Mainyu and rocketing them out to the space just above Tianlong where the match was to take place. Callum was surprised to see a number of small ships hovering in the area. Had they come to watch the fight? 'What a bunch of assholes,' Valencia thought.

A moment after Callum and Mikan reached their designated coordinates, as if he'd been waiting for it, Wu came sailing around from the other side of his ship. Callum got his first look at the mech known as Crusher. It was modified but Callum could tell that it used to be a carcha command mech. That gave it the same height as Angra Mainyu, though with a much thinner build. The mech was painted black with gold highlights here and there. 'I guess he likes that color scheme.'

"Warning," Cosmos chimed in. "Scans indicate that selachii has been heavily modified from a standard Seyllium. Running estimated specifications now."

"Uh," Valencia said. "I don't understand any of this. There are a bunch of numbers on my screen but I have no idea what they mean."

Callum suddenly regretted forcing Russell to stay behind. He hadn't wanted any more inciting incidents but he, Mikan and Valencia still knew very little about the mechs they piloted. "Cosmos, can you give us the short version. As simple as possible please?"

"Processing request," Cosmos responded. After a moment, she continued, "The selachii has been modified to increase speed and offensive output in exchange for a reduction in defensive capability."

"Thank you, Cosmos. Did you get that, Mikan?"

"Yes. Cosmos, what kind of extra weapons do you scan?"

"Answer: the shield generator on his chest is now a missile rack and he has a beam cannon on either wrist. Armor has been reduced by twenty-five percent increasing speed and maneuverability."

"Mikan," Callum said. "I think we should rush him. His mech is designed to kill quickly but maybe it'll go down quickly, too. If we let him get the initiative, I don't think we stand a chance."

"Yeah, I think you're right."

"I'll go right, you go left?"

"That's fine."

Wu settled his mech a little ways away from them and crossed his arms. "Notification: we are receiving a communications request from the selachii. Shall I connect?"

"Go ahead."

"Connected."

"Are you two ready?" Wu asked.

"Yes," Callum said.

"Fight goes until one side gives up. No missiles. How's that sound?"

"What if neither side gives up?" Valencia asked.

"I'm not worried about it." In fact, he sounded so unconcerned that Callum's stomach was starting to feel sour. How could he be so confident?

"Fine, let's just do this," Callum said.

"Whenever you're ready." Wu's mech still hovered with its arms crossed, the very picture of indolence.

"Cosmos, keep the link between me and Mikan active but cut Wu's unless he is directly trying to contact us."

"Acknowledged."

"Are you ready, Mikan?"

"Y-yeah."

"Go!" He and Mikan surged into action at the same time. He drew Shamshir as he moved and Mikan pulled her sawsword free of the mag-attach on her back. Callum came in low swinging his sword in an arch aimed at Wu's hip. Mikan attacked higher, chopping down at his shoulder. Wu didn't move and both swords hit dead on. Neither did anything more than scratch the paint. Callum felt like he'd just swung a pickax into a steel wall. Valencia instantly thrust them away and Mikan flew up and away, as well. Wu hadn't even altered his pose.

"What the hell was that?" Valencia asked. "I thought Cosmos said he had less armor than a regular mech!"

"He does." Callum swallowed hard. "He used ether to reinforce the plating. He really is powerful." Callum remembered how much effort it had taken to do that. "Mikan, we need to hit him with everything we've got. Put all of your power into your sword."

"Yeah, okay."

Callum concentrated, imagining his sword glowing with all the ether he was trying to strengthen it with. "Attack now!" he shouted when he thought he had done as much as possible. He was counting Mikan on having been faster than him, as she usually was in their training sessions. She was, getting to Wu a half second before he did. Callum's first strikes were still a little tentative but when he didn't get anywhere, he started hitting harder and harder until he was attacking for all he was worth. He tried pounding one segment repeatedly and when that did nothing, he changed to rapidly and randomly hitting different spots. The effect was the same. He eventually had to back off. His hands ached from clutching his control sticks so hard and he could already feel fatigue setting in.

Mikan backed away with him. Wu remained where he was, in that same infuriating pose. There were some paint scuffs but otherwise no sign of the fact that they'd been beating on him for all they were worth. "This is impossible," Callum said. "How can he be this strong?"

"Maybe he's getting tired, too?" Valencia suggested. "He could just be putting up a front, hoping you'd get discouraged." Even she didn't sound convinced.

"It has to be taking a lot out of him to keep his whole mech reinforced like that…" Callum responded. 'Maybe he'll break if we keep going but we have no idea how long it will take…if we even have the strength to do it.'

"I don't think he is reinforcing his whole mech," Mikan said.

"What do you mean?"

"I think he is just reinforcing the area where we are hitting, a moment before we hit it."

"That's even more insane. How could he predict where we are going to hit and react that quickly?"

"You're right. That was stupid."

"No. You're right. I just mean it makes him even scarier." 'What are we going to do?'

"Are you getting bored?" Wu suddenly asked. "We can play a different game." His mech reached back and drew the sword slanted down his back. It wasn't a sawsword but a massive, straight-bladed sword almost as long as Crusher itself. Wu pointed the sword toward them then pulled it back and settled it on Crusher's shoulder. He reached out his free hand and beckoned them toward him. Callum sighed. This was beginning to seem futile but he had to at least try, for the sake of the fie.

He rushed forward, trusting Mikan to come with him. She didn't disappoint. He went high, she went low and Wu swung his sword in an arc that knocked both of theirs away. Callum reacted as quickly as he could and Mikan was just as fast. Wu was faster, though. He parried their strike again and again, no matter their timing, rhythm or angles. He was so much faster than them it was a joke and he seemed to know where their blows would come from before they did. It was intensely frustrating. Made all he more so when he casually knocked both their swords out of their hands and caught them with his free one.

Valencia jetted them away instantly, expecting an attack but Wu simply hovered in place. He tossed their swords back toward them and then waited. 'He's not going to attack us. And why should he? We can't even touch him if he doesn't let us.' Callum snatched his sword up as it entered his vicinity and asked, "Got any ideas?"

Instead of answering, Mikan lifted her left arm, where her beam cannon was located, and fired. Callum hesitated but followed suit a second later with both of his shoulder-mounted cannons. He tried to dig deep and find the raw emotion that had let him fire such a big blast while on Ragrun but there was nothing there. So his blast, while powerful, wasn't nearly as powerful as he knew he could make it. 'Is there a way to do that without it being life or death?' Wu blocked Mikan's beam with one hand and let Callum's wash over him. When the ether beams failed, Wu hadn't suffered a speck of damage. Callum was at a loss.

"He's too much," Mikan said. She sounded awed.

Callum racked his brains and knew Valencia was doing the same, but they came up with nothing. Finally, Callum asked, "Mikan, do you care if I call it?"

"No."

Callum waited a few more beats, hoping for inspiration, but nothing came. There was no other choice. "Wu? We…give up." It was a surprisingly bitter utterance, since he hadn't asked for the fight in the first place. But it rankled, being so utterly helpless. 'I thought I was getting stronger.'

"Good," Wu said. "I was hoping you wouldn't drag this out too long." His mech pointed back toward Tianlong. "Let's meet back in the same bay you were storing your mechs before." Without waiting, he piloted Crusher around and then sped toward the still open bay doors. Still feeling a bit morose, Callum followed. 'I guess the Princess wasn't exaggerating when she called him the strongest human alive.'

'But you should be able to become that strong, right?' Valencia thought. 'You were the first one Venus could speak to since Wu, right?'

'Yeah, but, you know how he got that strong, right?'

'Oh…'

'Yeah…' They were both pretty morose by the time they landed in the bay.

Once Angra Mainyu was secure, he let go of the control sticks and reverted back into his body. It took a moment for him to readjust and then he swam up and surfaced. He coughed a few times but the transition from breathing PFC to breathing air wasn't nearly so bad now that the fie had replaced the old PFC liquid in Angra Mainyu's cockpit with their own version. Valencia surfaced on the other side a second later. She looked at him and shook her head, coughing a little. Callum nodded sadly. They hadn't even come close. He clambered out of the cockpit and slid down the ground.

Mikan was already at the foot of her mech. She was hunched in on herself and looked terrible. Myna was standing behind her, expressionless as always. He hurried over to Mikan. "Are you alright?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. She looked like she was fighting back tears. "I can't believe I'm still so weak. I thought I was better."

"I thought I was, too. Don't blame yourself. He's outrageously powerful. We never stood a chance."

"Damn it." She put a hand to her eyes and pressed hard with her fingers and thumb as if she was now physically holding her tears in her eyes. Callum wondered why she was taking this so badly.

Footsteps made him turn around and he saw Wu striding toward him. Shockingly, Taka trailed behind him, her all black jumpsuit making it clear she had been his co-pilot. 'I never would have guessed that. Ever.' Wu was not wearing a jumpsuit. He wasn't naked, but his tight shorts were the next thing to it. Callum wasn't especially surprised.

"Good," he said, stopping before them. "I like seeing this. Means you have pride. And you were also smart enough to surrender once you realized there was nothing you could do." He nodded. "I have to say, you kids impressed me. Let's talk." He waved for them to follow and turned to walk away. Taka gave Callum an inscrutable look and followed.

Callum squeezed Mikan's shoulder again. "Do you want to come with us? I can talk to him on my own."

Mikan immediately shook her head. She took a deep breath and pulled her hand away from her face. Her eyes were red-rimmed but determined. "I'm fine. Let's go." Callum dropped his arm. When he turned, he saw Valencia peering at him from a few steps away. She didn't seem angry, exactly, but her gaze was pretty intent. Callum suppressed a sigh and walked after Wu. Mikan and Valencia hurried to catch up.

Wu led them up a set of stairs within the hangar and into a small room. There was a small bank of computers along one wall and a single, swiveling chair. Wu took it. Taka leaned against the computer bank. As soon as Wu noticed Valencia, he said, "No, not her. Just you two. Send the android out, too." Myna had followed them.

"What? Valencia is my partner." She reached out and grasped his hand and he clasped it back.

"But she doesn't have the spark, right? What I have to say is just for you two." Callum hesitated. He knew Valencia would hate being excluded. "Hey, I won our little match, right? The least you can do is listen to my request."

Callum still didn't tell her to go. He thought she might take it badly. So it was a relief when she said, "It's alright, Callum. I'll wait for you outside." She gave his hand a squeeze and then, with a spiteful glare for Wu, left. Myna went with her at Callum's command.

"Sorry about that," Wu said, "but this is just for the four of us. Real pilots, you know?" Callum swallowed his retort and waited patiently. "Now, just so I know I have my facts in order, you were able to hear Venus when you were still a virgin?"

Callum nodded. "In my dreams, kind of. I didn't really talk to her until the first time I tried using my power."

Wu crossed his arms and nodded. "That was the same for me. 'Cept I was even younger than you." He laughed. "You've only been piloting for about half a year, yeah?" Callum nodded. "Damn impressive. I got a good idea of how much ether you can tap. Is, uh, she the only other pilot you've slept with?" he asked, gesturing at Mikan. She blushed and Wu grinned, "I mean, I kind of figured with you two both being so powerful. And I know how hard it is for two young, lusty pilots to keep their hands off each other."

"Fucking…come on," Taka muttered.

"No," Callum admitted. "There was another person, though I'm not really sure anything changed afterward." He hadn't really thought about it before but he hadn't felt the same melding he had with Mikan after fooling around with Nita. Was she not strong enough to boost his own ether?

"Hmm. How far did you go? You fuck fuck her or just fuck around with her?" Wu asked.

"Oh my God," Taka sighed, looking toward the roof.

Callum didn't really like talking about this with Wu so he just answered with a succinct, "I guess I didn't actually have sex with her."

"Yeah. There's your problem. Not that it actually has to be penis in vagina sex. But both partners just have to consider whatever they've done to be 'sex.' People have different definitions of what that is but every participant needs to be on the same wavelength for it to work. I think that's why rape doesn't do anything." Wu caught the glance all three people in the room gave him and held up his hands. "Not that I have any experience with that! I'm sure Venus told you, same as she told me." Callum breathed a sigh of relief.

Wu turned to Mikan. "What about you, cutie? Any other pilots besides this handsome guy here?" Mikan shook her head, hesitated, then her eyes opened wide and she shook her head rapidly. 'Thinking about that icke guy…she doesn't know if he's a pilot.' Callum started to feel a little queasy. "Well, damn. That is impressive. You two have only reinforced each other and you are already this powerful. You have a lot of potential." He nodded and then leaned back, crossing his arms and legs. "Which brings me to why I asked you here. I think the three of us should fuck."

Callum froze, wondering if he had actually heard right. Mikan did the same. It was Taka that reacted first. "You disgusting old fucking pervert! Oh my God! You seriously brought them up here for that? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Wu swiveled toward her and then back to Callum. "As an aside, would you mind tumbling her, too? She's still a virgin but has just enough juice to pilot on her own. I'm hoping once she ditches her v-card, she'll stop being such a pain in the ass and can start amassing some actual power."

"Fuck! You!" Taka spat. "How dare you try and fucking…sell me off?! And how dare you try and lure these two into your nest of depravity?!"

"I'm not luring them anywhere," Wu said. "I am offering them a chance to massively boost their own power and, not to brag, but have a fun time doing it."

"You're sick! You're so sick in the head, it's impossible to talk to you!" She turned to Callum and pointed at him. "And you! Don't think you can have your way with me just because this monster told you to." Her face was red.

Callum held up his hands. "I understand." Taka shook her finger at him one more time and then edged around the room without taking her eyes off of him and escaped through the door.

Wu sighed loudly. "I don't know when she is going to grow up."

Callum's patience finally ran out. He'd tried to stay polite because he wanted to help the Princess but he really, really did not like Wu. "I think I agree with her, actually. There is something wrong with you. Why would you think you could just call us up here and we would agree to have sex with you?"

Wu cocked his head. "Listen, if you're worried about the man on man thing, don't be. That's not really my jam either. But I've tested this before and as long as we're both having sex with the girl it creates a like a three-way link."

Callum put a hand over his eyes. "This is impossible." He couldn't understand Wu. It had been naïve to think that there was some kind of common ground between them because they were both human. 'I'll have to apologize to the Princess. This has been a waste of time.' "Thank you for your time," Callum said, striving to be polite even at the end of his rope. "I think it is time for us to go, though."

Wu chuckled. "Do you understand what you are giving up here? How much power you are turning down because…why? You think sex is something sacred? You're afraid to cheapen it? Or what? Here's a free lesson for you, kid; being high-minded in this galaxy is a swift path to nowhere."

Callum struggled and seethed inside. He knew what Wu was saying was wrong but he didn't know how to argue against it. He'd never really thought about this kind of stuff before and he'd never met somebody like Wu. 'What about Nita?' a small voice in the back of his head asked. 'No, she's different.' Again, he couldn't explain why, he just felt it was so. "Come on, Mikan," he finally said. He couldn't find the words to tell Wu what he was feeling and it was probably a waste of time anyway. He glanced at her and found her huddled in on herself, looking at the ground.

"Hold on," Wu said. "You may have rejected my offer but you don't speak for the lady. It's on the table for her, too."

Mikan didn't seem to react to either comment. "Mikan?" Callum asked.

She jerked and then looked at him, blinking rapidly. "R-right. Yeah. Okay." They turned and headed for the door.

"Alright, hold on," Wu said. His voice was slightly exasperated, not angry. "I might have handled this a little tactlessly, maybe. I haven't met many former slaves from some rock nobody's ever heard of so I didn't know what delicate flowers you were. How about this? I do want to meet with your Princess to discuss this alliance personally. I don't like in-betweens. I'm not crazy that she sent you here broadcasting her intent to ally with me but at this point, it is what it is. So, you want to go to her? The Tianlong will take you. In the meantime, just think about it. Think what you have to gain. It'll be worth it. And really, really fun."

Callum stopped and glanced over his shoulder. The little half-smile that Wu wore sent a shiver up his spine. "It's not going to happen, Wu. But thank you for agreeing to meet with the Princess, even so."

"This and that have nothing to do with each other. Don't let personal feelings get in the way of business. Another lesson for you."

Callum nodded. He was learning lessons from Wu, though not the ones the man seemed to be trying to teach. He ushered Mikan out of the room. Valencia was waiting a little bit away, with Myna hovering nearby. She was too far away to eavesdrop, which Callum wasn't sure he was grateful for. He didn't want to rehash the whole thing for her.

"So?" she said, raising an eyebrow once they were close. "What does he want from you?"

"Too much," Callum said. "But I turned him down."

"Can you do that? We lost, didn't we?"

'Oh, right.' Wu had never said what they owed him if they lost. He didn't try to use that to force us into his bed. Was that because it was coercion and would have negated the effect of the meld? Callum scrubbed a hand through this hair. Why did everything have to be so complicated? "It wasn't about that. I'll explain everything back in our rooms."

As they started walking, Valencia said, "And what happened with Taka? She practically sprinted by me, red-faced and muttering to herself like a crazy person."

"Oh, Wu just embarrassed her again. I can't imagine what it is like having a person like that for a father."

Once they reached their rooms, all four of them went into the girls' and Callum explained what Wu had wanted. Valencia was first incredulous and then furious but eventually calmed down when Callum explained that he had no intent to do anything of the sort with Wu and Wu wasn't going to force the issue. Callum couldn't help but notice that Mikan stayed quiet through the entire thing. That in and of itself wasn't unusual but the way she was chewing on her thumbnail with a faraway look in her eyes was concerning. 'She can't actually be considering doing something with him, can she?' Callum couldn't imagine. Then again, he couldn't have imagined her sleeping with a strange alien she'd just met. In public.

"Unbelievable," Valencia said when he was finished. "What a pig!"

"At least this'll be over soon," Callum said. "We can let the Princess handle it from here." He pulled idly on the front of his jumpsuit. "I don't think I'm cut out for diplomatic work." Valencia nodded.

Callum went back to his room, intent on taking a nap, only to find a glowering Russell waiting for him. "I can't believe you just fucking gave up like that!" the android burst out the moment Callum closed the door.

"What? Were you watching? If you were, then you know there was nothing else we could do."

"You don't look dead to me," Russell said. "You don't even look exhausted."

Callum sat down heavily on the bed. He felt exhausted. "I don't know what you thought that fight was but I wasn't going to go until I died. Wu wasn't even taking it seriously. He never attacked. If he had, maybe me and Mikan would have died. Would you be happier then?"

"This isn't right! This isn't right!" Russell shouted, pacing the room. "I thought you were my heir. The one who would use Angra Mainyu to finally crush the carcha! I never quit a fight until I literally couldn't move! It doesn't matter what the fight is! Never give up. Never. You can never, ever stop!"

"That's insane. Why would you continue to fight a pointless battle?"

"It's a mindset!" Russell barked. "You have to believe you can win every fight, no matter the odds, all the time, or you will not put a dent in the carcha! Don't you get that?"

"What does this even have to do with carcha? It was a sparring match against another human."

"You can't doubt! Ever! The moment you do, you create cracks that can be pressured. And, trust me, nobody pressures like the carcha!"

"And if I get killed or get Angra Mainyu destroyed fighting a battle I can't win, is that better than retreating?"

"You can't let yourself think that way! You can't let yourself think there is a battle you can't win!" Callum sighed but he took the time to think about what Russell was saying. It did make some sense. If he'd let himself think about the chances in the battle over Ragrun, he might have succumbed to despair.

He leaned forward, toward the agitated android. "Russell, when it comes to life or death, for me or my friends, I won't ever give up. Ever." He felt the conviction of that deep in his heart. "This match was a different matter. I know it meant a lot to you but I'm honestly not entirely sure why."

Russell slumped and then abruptly sat down against the wall. "I just don't understand it," he said. "Humanity seems to have settled for being chattel to the carcha. Nobody is fighting. The most powerful human in the galaxy is using that power to eke out a meager existence as an information broker and rest stop to the scum of the galaxy. It wasn't like this before."

"All humans were fighting against the carcha?" Callum asked. He found it difficult to believe.

"No…" Russell shook his head, "but nobody was content. There were undergrounds on every planet and everybody wanted to be a Black Lion. There was spirit before! Everybody thought that someday humanity would overcome!"

Callum leaned back. "You know, you've talked about how you almost defeated the carcha but you never talk about what happened in the end."

"What do you mean?" Russell's voice was low and dangerous but Callum didn't let it put him off. He knew his question was cruel, which is why he'd avoided asking it before. But Russell was always talking so big that Callum felt he had the right.

"How did you lose?" Russell glared at him for a long moment and then turned his head away, muttering something. "What?"

"I said, I don't know!" Russell snapped.

"You don't know?"

"No." Russell rubbed his temple. "I don't have any memory of that. The last thing I remember, I thought the Black Lions' victory was assured. What happened after…what caused this body to activate and hide out with Angra Mainyu…I don't know."

Callum gawked at him. He'd taken most of what Russell had told him in good faith. Why would he lie, after all? But now he was starting to wonder if the whole thing was some delusion programmed into him. But Wu seemed to recognize the name. 'Maybe I should ask him about it.' Then again, that would mean talking to Wu, so maybe not. Callum sighed. He flopped back on the bed and closed his eyes. "I need to take a nap, Russell. We'll talk more later." Russell muttered something Callum couldn't hear.